With Wings Wide Open
by lizziestar
Summary: For Iggy lovers. Jeb makes the flock go on a rescue mission to bust out a high security prisoner who just happens to be Fang's long lost twin. And that's not the weird part. What if they found their mother? See what happens. IggyXOC and some FAX.
1. Chapter 1

**Note: I do not own Maximum Ride or it's characters. I only own Elisabeth.**

It was dark. Probably around midnight. I couldn't be sure cause my watch broke like six months ago. That's what happens when you're a bird kid on the run. You can't keep anything nice. It either gets lost, broken in a fight, or you have to lose it 'cause it has a tracking device implanted in it. But, no matter. I needed to get rid of it anyway. It was starting to get on my nerves.

Where were we? At a School in New Jersey. We were on a rescue mission. We had to break out a high security prisoner. Jeb wouldn't tell us why she was in there or for what reason we had to break her out. He just told us what to do. It wasn't going to be easy. Stuff like this never is, especially for six mutants bird kids and their pet dog who were on the run. But no big deal. I mean, the worst that could happen to us would be getting captured, put in cages that were too small for us, getting tortured, being sold to foreign countries as weapons, or possibly dying. But like I said, no big deal right?

"Remind me again why we're doing this." Fang said impatiently. He really didn't want to be doing this. He saw no point in it. Why were they risking their lives to rescue a high security prisoner? If the whitecoats thought she was dangerous, shouldn't that tell them something? Or maybe she was a high security prisoner because she had tried to stop them? Fang hoped it was the second reason, but he wasn't going to risk his life to find out. It could just as easily be the first reason. He only came because Max had asked him to. Otherwise, he wouldn't be taking part in this hair-brained scheme at all. She was his only reason. If this girl was dangerous, he would have to protect Max and the others. That was his reason for going.

I sighed. "Because, as I've already told you, mom said it was important." I just wished I knew why. I don't think my mom really knew why either. If she did, she would tell me, right? Wouldn't she? _Of course she would. Why wouldn't she? She's just doing it because Jeb said it was important. But why? Why is she listening to him? Because she trusts him. Why? Because he hasn't given her reason not to. But he has given me reason not to. But me and mom are two different people. No matter how much I am like her._

"And since when do you listen to adults?" Iggy asked, jerking me out of my thoughts. Honestly, those two were more irritating than the mad scientists who were constantly trying to get us. I mean could they just make this easy for me and not talk back? Of course not. They're boys. And not just any boys, but Fang and Iggy. The two most aggravating boys on the face of the earth. Sometimes it was hard to tell which one gave me more grief. Half the time it was Fang. The other half it was Iggy. It was like their life's mission was to see which one of them could pester me more. Get me more angry. Oh well, you can't help but love your brothers. Well...your friends who are like your brothers. Or something like that.

"Well Ig," I said, giving him an annoyed look I knew he couldn't see, "She is my mom so I kinda do have to listen to her." Right now, Iggy was the one getting on my nerves the most. I mean what did I have to do to get him to stop? Tie him and gag him? That was a possibility. _No Max. You can't tie Iggy up no matter how much he annoys you. You need him. And besides, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself...for very long._

"Okay, okay. Don't have to get all touchy." he said. He didn't want me to get mad. If I got mad, I could blow the whole mission. That and he didn't want to have to deal with a very steamed Max. No, he didn't want that. The best idea was just leave me alone, so I could concentrate on the task ahead.

I shook my head and then looked around at the huge building. When I say it was huge, I mean it was huge. It was at least fifty feet high. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But only a little. From our spot in a tree, I could see a huge training area. It was as big as two and a half football fields. No exaggeration there. I could just image all the kinds of nasty experiments that they trained there. Experiments that were far worse than Omega and the Gator Guys. Worse than anyone could even imagine. We flew out of the tree and landed on the ground, so we could get a better look at things.

Like Jeb said, there were no guards. Nope that would be too easy. Guards, we could handle. Robots, we could handle. But they had virtually nothing...outside. Just a security system on the side of the building. It was state of the art and almost impossible to hack. Almost.

Lucky for me I had an expert hacker with us. Unfortunately, the expert hacker was Nudge. I mean, I love the little kid, but she isn't that good at the whole stealth thing. She just can't seem to keep that mouth of hers shut. It's like when something pops into her head, she has to let the whole world know. But, she is a terrific little fighter, and she's very brave. But quiet? Not so much.

"Okay Nudge. There it is. Go do your stuff." I said edging her forward.

"Got it Max, but do you think after this we could get some ice-" See what I mean? Something pops into her head and then she just has to say, no matter if we are all about to die or not.

"Nudge, just go." I said glancing around for any signs of robots. Needless to say, I was a little worried. I mean, you would be too if the lives of you and your friends were in the hands of an eleven year old motormouth. Wouldn't you? I thought so. So, next time you're thinking "Come on Max, don't be a worry-wart." put yourself in my position and see how fearless you are. I'm betting on "not very". You'd probably be much more scared than me because you are not a mutant bird girl who can make a grown man scream for his mommy. At least, I don't think you are. And if you are, you'd probably be a little more scared than me, because...well, because you aren't Maximum Ride, the girl destined to save the world and all that stuff.

Nudge walked over to the computer. She laid her hands gently on the keyboard and closed her eyes. Two seconds later she smiled triumphantly. "I'm in." Well, thank goodness that was over.

Now it was time for phase two. I just hoped this part would go as planned. This was the part I wasn't sure about. I didn't know if this would work. I mean, we'd never used Total before. How did we know that he would actually fit through that tiny air vent? Jeb assured me that his calculations were right. As if that eased my mind. Calculations are off alot more than they are right on. How did I know this was going to be one of those right on target times? I didn't. And that's what made me nervous.

"Total, you know what to do right?" I knew he did. I mean, we only went over this a hundred million times! But still, I had to make sure. You can't be too careful. Besides, it would make me feel a whole lot better if I was absolutley positive that Total knew what to do and could do it. And besides that, if he didn't know what to do then I really didn't want to have to go over it while we were doing it.

Total scratched his ear with his hind leg. "Yeah, yeah. I go through the vent and unlock the door from the inside." Okay, so he knew what to do. I had to make sure, didn't I?

I rolled my eyes. "Then go and do it." Sheesh, this leader stuff was a real pain. I mean, couldn't they trust that I actually knew what I was doing? Alright, so at this particular moment I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I was just following Jeb's orders, doing what he told me to do, and going along with the plan. At least, I was going to until the plan went horribly wrong, like it always does, and I had to do what I always do. Make it up as I go along, and kick some major whitecoat butt. Now that was a plan.

Iggy unscrewed the vent and hoisted Total in. I was amazed. He actually fit, and there was some room too. Well, I was wrong. Maybe this would go smoothly for once. And maybe Nudge would shut up, Iggy and the Gasman would stop blowing up stuff, I would become a total girly-girl, and we would be normal kids. In other words, "No way!" So everything had gone right so far. Something bad was bound to happen soon. I mean we weren't inside yet. Who knew what horrors were awaiting us. Who knew if there were a thousand whitecoats waiting for us in there. Who knew that we weren't walking into a trap. If you guessed no one, then you'd be right! No one knew what was going to happen once we got inside, so let's just say I was pretty nervous.

"Cross your fingers." Iggy said.

"I don't have fingers." Total replied.

"Oh right."

"Can we hurry this up?" I asked tapping my foot and getting anxious. Our lives were dangling on the line and they thought this was the appropriate time to make jokes? I mean, my god. They might as well have shouted, "Hey whitecoats! Here we are! We came to break out a high security prisoner! Why don't you come out here and let us fight you! I mean, it's only six of us against thousands of you, your crazy experiments, and millions of Flyboys!" Did they want to get caught or something? _Of course not, they're just trying not to be so nervous. If they're nervous, they might not do so well. I mean, this is a pretty big job for not so big kids and a little dog. Just because we had wings, could outrun a grown man, and kick butt didn't mean that we were indestructible._

I watched as Total disappeared into the vent. I was thankful that he was so small. I mean, none of us could fit in there, not even Angel even though she's only six. We were all tall for our age. That was presumably because of our bird DNA, but I'm pretty sure that if Iggy was a normal kid, he'd still be pretty tall. I mean, he was younger than Fang and he was like five inches taller and he still had some growing to do. We all did. I mean Angel was already almost as tall as my sister, Ella, and Ella was about six years older than her. But I'm getting off subject. Where was I? Oh yeah. Total had just went through the vent.

Now all we had to do was wait. For what? Who knew. Maybe Total had actually made it. Maybe they caught him. Maybe when the door opened Total would come out. Maybe an army of whitecoats and Flyboys would. All I could do was wait and be ready for whatever came through that door. Whether good or bad, I had to be prepared. If it was Total, I had to be prepared to rescue a prisoner. If it was whitecoats, I had to be prepared to fight. _Come on Total. Come on. Hurry up. Our lives might depend on you. Don't get caught. Please. Come on Total, come on._


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: I don't own these characters. Only Elisabeth.**

We all held our breath waiting for Total. After five minutes that seemed to stretch on forever, we heard a scraping sound at the door and it pushed open.

Total walked out, looked at me, and said "Piece of cake."

We all went inside, trying not to make any sound.

"Okay," I whispered, "She should be in the basement. All we have to do is find a staircase."

We searched every inch of the ground floor. It had been about three minutes before Gazzy whispered "I found it."

We carefully descended the dark staircase. It was so quiet I could only hear Iggy breathing.

The staircase seemed to go on forever. When we finally reached the bottom we saw a door.

I turned the knob, but it was locked.

"Iggy?" I asked in barely a whisper. "Got your lock picking kit?"

"Of course." he said pulling it out.

In a matter of seconds Iggy turned the knob. The door didn't even creak. So far, so good.

There was hardly any light in the room. Just a little coming from a window way up on a wall.

I could make out a figure struggling on a bed-like table in the middle of the room. This had to be the person we were rescuing.

Without making a sound, I walked over to her. Her eyes were closed and her hair was fanned out all around her. She was strapped down.

I could tell she was sleeping, but not very peacefully.

"Ig, come over here."

He moved over to where my voice was coming from.

"I need you to wake her up, so I can cut her loose. Put your hand over her mouth so she can't yell." I instructed.

Iggy did what I told him to and she let out a muffled scream.

"Don't worry." he whispered. "We're the good guys."

I began cutting the ropes and thinking that this was too easy, when the alarm went off.

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" That was more like it.

"Uh oh." I said. I knew I had seconds to free her.

"Ig, help!" I shouted.

We freed her and were on our way to the door, when I heard them coming.

"Can you fly?" I asked the girl. She nodded.

"Then fly up to that window, break through, and-"

"Max! Hurry!" Fang yelled as the evil scientists busted through the door. _Oh holy crap._I knew something like this would happen. I couldn't get through a single day without some kind of fight for my life. No, let the normal kids enjoy that particular luxury. I watched the flock around me for a few seconds before joining the fight. Fang had just bashed a whitecoats head into a door, Total was biting another ones ankles, Nudge, Gaz, and Angel were each working on their own whitecoat, and Iggy was keeping the prisoner out of harm's way, while bashing a couple of Flyboys. _That's my flock._

Suddenly, a huge whitecoat lunged at me. I punched him in the jaw and felt it break as he flew through the air and took out another couple of whitecoats. _What're we gonna do Max? _Angel's frightened thoughts flashed through my head. _We need a new plan. _She was right. We couldn't keep this up much longer. Total was already down, Gazzy couldn't take much more, and Iggy was having a hard time protecting himself and the prisoner. It was just too much. Another whitecoat charged at me, and I jumped up on a table. That's when I saw the window, and formulated an escape plan.

"New plan!" I yelled. "Fly out that window. Ig, it's on the wall in front of you. Just follow me." They all jumped on tables, Iggy helping the girl, Angel scooping up Total, and snapped out their wings.

We all took off and flew straight for the window, the whitecoats trying to grab our legs. I busted through the glass and we were free.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: I don't own these characters. Only Elisabeth.**

We kept flying until we reached Arizona. The journey didn't take long, less than a day, but it was still dark when we got there. Up in the sky I could see tiny pinpricks of light down below. As we got closer, the pinpricks turned into headlights, streetlights, and porch-lights. I could see kids playing flashlight tag in their dark backyards and joggers running down the block. It was very entertaining to watch these "normal" people go about their everyday lives, having no idea that there were six mutants and their dog flying up above them, watching them.

I could make out mom's house a few feet below us and a little ahead. Soon, we were directly above it and we started to descend. We landed and I breathed in the smell of freshly mown grass. It was good to be back. This was one of the few places I felt totally and completely safe. Like I belonged. It was a good feeling. Too bad I couldn't feel like this all the time.

We knocked on the door and Ella greeted us immediately, squeezing me tightly. She led us into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

"Hey Max! Man, I missed you. All of you. It's so good to see you." she said excitedly, grinning broadly, and looking like she wanted to jump up and down. She loved it when we came by for a visit, but this time she seemed more excited than usual. I didn't know why. Maybe it was the fact that this time we had just come back from a dangerous mission. I supposed that was it. What else could it be?

"It's good to see you too Ella." I said, and I meant it. I loved my sister so much. Okay so she was my half-sister, but still she was my onlysister. "Where are mom and Jeb?"

"Oh they're in the living room. They want to talk to you. Said it's urgent." she said. I assumed they were going to tell me why I risked getting the whole flock killed for this girl. I did not trust Jeb, but mom did. That's the only reason I went along with this, but it was possible he was fooling her too. That's why I was keeping on my toes. I wasn't going to let anything get past me. Nothing. If I did, I could put the flock in so much danger. But that wasn't going to happen. I hoped. No, it wasn't going to happen. I knew it.

"So, who's the new girl?" Ella asked me. When she saw my confused expression she pointed near the front door.

It was at that moment that I remembered we had another person with us. I turned to look at the new girl. Now that I could see her in the light, I thought she reminded me of someone. She had dark hair and dark eyes. She turned to look at me too. She tried to give a little smile, but was too scared. Or maybe nervous or awed, but it was hard to tell. Where had I seen that look before? Uh oh. I was getting distracted. Letting my guard down. Another slip like that and we could all be put in cages. Or worse. Nope I had to remain focused. I would remain focused. But I still couldn't help feeling like I'd seen her before. Oh well, I'd think about that later. At that moment, I had some business to take care of. _Urgent business. _I reminded myself.

"We rescued her." Gazzy said grinning proudly. He was very happy that we completed our dangerous mission without something going wrong for once.

"Let's go see what this is all about now." Fang said. He wasn't comfortable around my sister. It was most likely because Ella had a little crush on him. But I didn't say anything because I was curious to see what was going on myself.

We all went into the living room and fell in an exhausted heap on the floor and Ella sat down with us. Flying for seven straight hours really tires you out, especially if you are like Angel and the Gasman. They were still little kids. The new girl, who was looking around at us, looked scared and confused and stayed close to the door. She was shaking a little. I guess she wasn't used to flying that hard. Oh well. Not my problem.

_Well, we are mean aren't we Maximum? What happened to "No kid deserves to be in a cage."?_

_Oh shut it Voice. _I thought angrily. _I never said she did. I said it wasn't my problem that she wasn't used to flying that hard._ Maybe I had been a little mean, but I was just wanting to know why it was so important that we practiced this plan for months, only to rescue a girl that looked like she'd never been in a fight in her life. I mean really.

"Okay Jeb, we got her." I said, cutting to the chase. "Who is she and why'd we bust her out?" I seriously wanted to know why she was a high security prisoner. She didn't look like the type that could kill someone with both hands tied behind her back, but then again neither did Angel. Maybe she had an ability or something. I was anxious to find out.

Jeb sighed. "This may come as a bit of a shock, but this is Elisabeth…Fang's fraternal twin sister." he said motioning towards the girl.

I looked at her and then at Fang. Now I knew why she looked familiar. The hair, the eyes; she was the girl version of Fang. There was no question. Not a single one. They were twins.

The flock was quiet. They all looked puzzled, especially Fang. The girl looked just as confused as we were. Maybe even more. She stared at Fang with her mouth wide open, making that face he does when he's surprised, which isn't often.

Jeb continued. "The reason you broke her out was that I thought she would be helpful to your mission. They made her mind like a super-computer up at the School. She's super-smart. Knows everything that the top minds in the world know and lots of things they don't." he paused.

Of course. I knew it was something like that. I jumped in "You want her to join the flock. That's the whole reason for this? I almost get everyone killed for her!" I was furious. I looked over at the girl and she looked just as mad as me. She didn't want to be here anymore than I wanted her to. Or maybe it was the thought of being used. Either way, I was regretting ever breaking her out. On the other hand, she was just a kid. And not just any kid, but Fang's sister. His twin. My best friend's sister. But then again, she could be a bad guy. This was all too confusing. I needed an Advil or something. This was just too much for one day.

"Well, yes." Jeb said uncertainly, after a long silence. "But Max I really think-"

My mom, who had been quiet up until this point, interrupted "Max, we really think this is a good idea. Just try it, okay sweetie." She put her hand on my shoulder and smiled encouragingly.

_Time for a decision Max._ I thought to myself.

I looked around at the flock, at my family. I took a deep breath. That made me feel slightly better. "Okay. We'll put it to a vote." I said. "All in favor."

Angel's hand went up immediately. She looked positively thrilled at the idea of another person in the flock. Then Nudge and Gazzy slowly raised theirs. Iggy thought for a moment then stuck up his hand uncertainly. Finally, Fang raised his. He seemed to be voting only so he could get out of here. I didn't blame him. I was ready to sleep for a year. Total even raised his paw. Well, it was decided. A unanimous vote.

"Okay." I said. "She's in." I was not happy about it though and I would be keeping a close watch on her. I wouldn't let her out of my sight for a second.

"Ooh goody!" Nudge said jumping up and down. Oh no. It was time for the "Nudge Hour". "I'm like, so totally happy that you're one of the flock." she said to Elisabeth, who didn't know quite what to make of this. "We are going to have so much fun! I can tell you all about us and what we like and stuff. Oh yeah, my name's Nudge. I absolutely love cute clothes, shoes, gummi-worms, chocolate, MTV, animals, and all kinds of stuff. You're Elisabeth, right? That's a pretty name. I love it. I love my name too. It's totally cool. So how'd you get your name? Did you pick it out or did you have friends that named you that or is it what the whitecoats call you? I hate the whitecoats. They're really mean and scary and they hurt people and want to make another Holocaust. But we don't have to worry about them for awhile 'cause they don't know where we are and besides that we totally kicked their butts! It was really awesome. So how did they make you super smart? I bet they hooked you up to a machine. That's what they did to Iggy when he went blind. It doesn't matter that he's blind though 'cause he can do stuff like cook and kick whitecoat butt and mmph-" Iggy had put his hand over Nudge's mouth. Elisabeth looked relieved. She didn't know what to think of Nudge.

"Chill, Nudge." he said letting go of her mouth.

"Fine, but like I said it's nice to meet you and if you wanna know anything ask me." she said smiling.

"Come on Nudge." Ella said looking at my expression. "I want to show you something."

"Okay." Ella led her down the hall and Angel followed, staring at Elisabeth with a puzzled expression on her face.

Elisabeth looked at all of us. She looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't know what. She seemed to be staring at something, but I couldn't tell what.

"We'll just leave you guys alone now." my mom said standing to leave. Jeb wouldn't budge, but then my mom looked at him murderously and he followed her without question. It was the same look I'd given Fang so many times before. It was nice to know where it came from.

I still didn't know what to think of Elisabeth. I knew I'd have to keep a close eye on her for awhile though. But I really had to take a shower right then. What was I going to do? Should I get Fang to watch her? Probably not. He didn't seem ready to be around her. He had to swallow all of this. It would take Fang awhile. It was going to take some getting used to for all of us, but it would take Fang longer to adjust because this was his long-lost twin sister. It was like one of those soap-operas where there are two twins separated at birth and they don't see each other for twenty years and then they run into each other at a hospital or something. But this, unfortunately, was not a TV show and I couldn't just flip the channel. No this was real life and we were just going to have to deal. So if I wasn't going to get Fang to watch her that only left one other option.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: I don't own these characters. Only Elisabeth.**

While Max was taking a shower, Fang was in charge of the little kids, and Max had left Iggy in charge of the new girl. He didn't mind actually. She seemed to like Iggy better than the rest of the flock. He was the only one she'd talk to. She seemed uncertain about the rest of them. He'd thought she'd at least try to talk to Angel or Fang, he was her brother after all, but she didn't. She seemed shy to tell the truth. But she was a really good listener. When he was talking, she really listened to him. He finally found someone who got what he said without him having to explain it. It was really refreshing to have that kind of a conversation. He felt like this girl had known him all his life. She totally understood him like no one else had. They had known each other for two hours and it was like they had been best friends since birth. He told her everything that was important about the flock. He told her what their abilities were, what they liked, and other stuff. He really wanted to know more about her.

"Well, I've told you all about the flock, so why don't you tell me about yourself." Iggy said grinning.

She liked his smile. It was friendly and kind. It made her feel like everything was alright. She didn't know why, but he was the only one she was comfortable around. The others made her uneasy, even the little one, Angel. Iggy was just one of those people who you could know for five seconds and it's like your best friends, she guessed. At first, she had been uneasy about Iggy too, but five minutes into the conversation she started to ease up and really talk to him and she came to find that she really enjoyed talking to him. He was really funny and kind of cute she decided. She loved his eyes. They were this pretty shade of blue. She didn't know how to describe them. She figured that if he kept his eyes facing her, that she would tell him anything. But she really didn't like talking about herself. It was too...painful. What they did to her, what happened, all of it was just awful. But the way he was smiling at her made her feel better, so she decided to tell him. She'd open up to him. She felt like she could do that for him.

"There's not much to tell really. My story's just like yours. Trapped. Helpless. Subjected to infinite amounts of torture." She could feel tears burning in her eyes, threatening to fall. She was trying hard not to cry, not in front of Iggy, but it was almost impossible.

"I tried to escape when I was four. I almost made it out, but they trapped me. That's when they messed with my brain." She felt a tear fall down her cheek. _Oh no. _She thought. _Don't cry, don't cry. Don't let Iggy hear you cry. What would he say? You can't cry. It won't fix anything. Crying never helped anyone. You have to be strong. Be strong. Just tell him everything._

"All I can remember from my childhood is Dr. Mullins. She was one of those rare nice whitecoats. She didn't really know what they were doing to me though. Whenever they beat me I would go to her and she would say, "It can't be that bad. Let me see." I would lift up my shirt, but by that time the marks had healed. She named me after her grandmother. That's what she told me. I don't think she knew that I had a...a brother. She would have told me if she did.

Well when I tried to escape, she finally saw how cruel they were. She saw them beat me and she saved me. They stopped hurting me, but they said that I still needed to be punished, so they said they were going to alter my brain waves or something and make me think like a super-computer. They thought it would make me like a robot and that I would obey them. Either that or I would die. Dr. Mullins tried to stop it. She told me she'd fix everything the night before they were going to mess with my brain. I never saw her again. As you can probably tell, the operation didn't make me like a robot. Since they performed the operation when I was four, I had developed enough to where I was almost unaffected by the surgery. I'm super-smart, but I feel just like a regular person. I know right from wrong. That's why I was a high security prisoner. I knew what they were doing and I wasn't going to have any part in it. I was trying to destroy their files and everything, but they knocked me out. When I woke up I was strapped down, and I had only ever been let up for testing, but I was handcuffed." It took alot to tell Iggy that, but she was glad she did. It made her feel as if a giant weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She was relieved.

Iggy knew it had taken alot of guts to tell him that. She was a strong person, that's for sure. Maybe stronger than Max, or close anyway. "That's horrible." Iggy said softly. "I kinda know how you feel. They took me when I was little too. They tried to enhance my night vision, but I ended up blind." He took a deep breath. She had told him the whole story, so he was going to be honest with her too. "When I was little, I could never see very well. I think they said I had a stigmatism. I used to crash into walls and everything. They called me useless.

One day, they took me into the surgery room and told me to count backwards from ten. I did, but before I finished I was knocked out. When I woke up everything was dark. I was scared so I screamed. That's when they knew they hadn't fixed my eyesight, but blinded me. Max and Fang helped me learn how to do stuff without my eyes. That's when I started cooking. It was something I didn't have to use my eyes for. I just knew. I felt it and...it's kind of hard to explain." he said grinning sheepishly. _Man._ He thought. _That was weird. Where did that come from? I said way to much. She must think I'm so weird._

There was a long silence before Elisabeth said, "I could describe myself to you, if you want." She didn't know why she said that. It was random. It just came out of nowhere.

"Okay." He had been wondering what she looked like_._ I mean he knew what Fang looked like and they were twins, but they were fraternal. Boy and girl twins are always fraternal twins, but maybe they looked different.

"Well, I have dark, long, wavy hair and brown eyes, chocolate brown. My wings are like a snowy owl's. You know, pure white with black speckles."

Iggy thought, from the way she described herself, that she was beautiful. _Wait a second. Did I just think that? Did I just think that she was beautiful? Woah. Okay Iggy this is not like you. She looks like Fang except the wings are different and she's a girl. _

_A very pretty girl._ He answered himself.

_Stop it. Why am I thinking like this? Do I like her? Do I love her?_

Then without thinking, he said "Do you wanna go outside?" _What the heck is going on with me? Why did I ask that? I don't even know if she likes me. She probably doesn't though. I mean I'm blind and she's perfect. What am I saying? Stop thinking like this._

She felt her face burn red. _Wait. Why am I blushing? What's happening to me? Do I like him or something? Oh my god, I do. I like Iggy. At least I think so. I mean I've never been in love before. If love makes you feel queasy and nervous and like if you stand up you'll fall then I am totally in love with him. Oh man. All I know is that I'll never tell him 'cause he probably doesn't like me like that. I mean why would he?_

"Sure." She figured that if he wanted her to come outside with him that she should. What else could she say? No? He probably wouldn't talk to her then.

They stood up and walked to the backdoor. Iggy held it open for her. He didn't know why. She could've opened it herself. It just seemed like the thing to do. She was making him act really strange. Totally un-Iggy like. _Maybe I do like her. It would explain this. But then again what if something's just...wrong?_

"Hey, Iggy! Come here for a second!" Angel called from the other room. Good a distraction. Just what he needed. Something to do that would keep his mind off of this. Angel couldn't have timed it any better.

"Better go see what she wants. I'll be outside in a sec." he said turning around and walking away. He'd go see what Angel wanted then he'd go outside. The fresh air would clear his head. He'd be back to normal in no time. It was as simple as that. Or was it? Would fresh air really help or would he be like this forever. Constantly doing things like holding doors open for people and other things. He'd worry about that later. _Just go see what Angel needs help with right now._

She watched him leave. He looked like he was muttering to himself. She was sure she caught the word "crazy". _Does he think I'm crazy?_ She'd think about that later. Right now the best thing for her was to go outside. The fresh air would help her think straight. She'd straighten out this whole mess. She closed the door behind her and walked onto the porch.

It was a nice night. It was a little chilly out, there was a breeze blowing and she was shivering slightly. She looked into the sky and saw that the moon and stars were shining and twinkling. They reminded her of Iggy's smile, except she was sure his smile was brighter.

_What is going on with me? He makes me so confused. I'm not used to being confused. I know everything, so why can't I figure out my feelings or teenage boys?_

_Because you're only human._ A voice answered her.

_Yeah well being human sucks sometimes. Ughh. I'm arguing with myself. I just need to relax. That's all. Relax..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: I don't own these characters. Only Elisabeth.**

She was still thinking to herself about how she felt, when she heard the door creak open. She whipped her head around and saw Iggy. He walked towards her carefully. She relaxed. She watched him as she continued to think. He was harder to figure out than she thought. She thought she had herself figured out. That part was relatively easy. Iggy? Now that was a different story. Totally different. He was like this massive puzzle that she had to figure out in a set amount of time. He was like a challenge. If she beat it, the prize was amazing. If she failed...well...she had better not fail.

"It's me, Elisabeth. It's Iggy." he said as he reached her. There was a strong breeze blowing and her long hair brushed his face lightly. It felt nice. It smelled nice too, like coconut. He never realized how confused the smell of coconut made him. Or maybe that was just Elisabeth. Would he ever know? He still hadn't figured this problem out. It was too difficult. Too complicated. He felt weird. That might be because he was way too close to Elisabeth. He moved over a little. There that was better. How had he gotten that close? He had probably misjudged her position. But how? He never misjudged anyone's position before. Maybe he was sick.

"Angel just wanted to know if I knew where Total was. I think she's up to something." he said, grinning. Why did he keep grinning? He guessed he looked like a jack-o'latern, but he just couldn't stop grinning. Then he thought about Angel. She had been acting weird when she asked him about Total. Really weird.

_She's acting like she knows a secret._ He thought to himself. _Does she know how I __think__ I feel about Elisabeth? Probably. _He thought.

_Oh come on Iggy. _Angel was in his head. _You __know__ you like her. You know I can tell. Just tell her already. You know you want to. You want to know if she feels the same way. That's the only way you're going to find out because I'm not telling. You need to do this yourself. If I told you then where would you be? _

She was right. He did like her. Alot. _But does she like me? _He wondered._ Angel why won't you tell me? Does that mean that she doesn't? What? I need to know._

_Figure it out on your own. She's right there in front of you Iggy. There's never gonna be a right time to tell her. No perfect moment. That's only in books and movies. In real life the perfect moment is whenever you have the chance. Here's your first chance Iggy. Are you going to take it or are you just going to stand by and let it all slip away and finally decide to tell her when it's way too late? Don't wait Iggy. Do it now. Now._

_I can't. Not now, but soon._

_That's what they all say. Well fine it's your life. You can mess it up, but I'm not going to watch._

Her brown eyes gazed at him. He was amazing. She had thought about how she felt about him after she had calmed down. She realized that she was acting strange because she really liked him. She was in love. She knew that now. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that it wasn't true. She had admitted it and felt so much better. _But is he in love with me? _She wondered. _Well if he isn't then I'm going to have to accept that, and if he does well then he needs to let me know. Soon. _

She felt Fang coming. Sure enough, when she turned around, he was there. He did look like her. They had the same eyes. Same dark hair that fell onto their faces, covering their eyes. He even made the same face she did when she was mad. There was no doubt about it. This really was her brother. Her twin.

"Max wants to know if you guys want pizza." Fang said, avoiding Elisabeth's eyes. He couldn't look at them. It'd be like looking into his own. Why hadn't anyone ever told him he had a sister? Did they know? Why had they been seperated after they were taken? Why was he just now finding out about this? Was this a test like all those ones Max had to go through? Why was this one for Fang? There were too many questions and no answers. Fang hated being left in the dark. He hated not knowing what was going on in his own life and why.

"Sure." Iggy said, bringing Fang back to reality. Then he added, "Bomb free this time."

Fang snickered. "I'll let Max know." He turned around and walked to the door, thinking. He'd worry about all of those questions another time. Right now he was starving and the sooner Max ordered the pizza, the sooner Fang would get to eat. That's what he needed, food and some time to mull things over and really think about them. Maybe Max could help. He doubted it, but it would be nice to have someone to talk to. He opened the door and stepped inside leaving Iggy and his sister alone. _My sister._ He thought_._ That was going to take some getting used to_._

Elisabeth was puzzled. "Bomb free?" she asked. Was this a joke or something? Why would someone put a bomb inside of a pizza? Unless... _Whitecoats._ She thought. _But how'd they know that the pizza was going to them? Did they tap the phone lines? _Who knew what they did or why. They were just bad people. No. Some like Dr. Mullins and Jeb and Max's mother were good. Even though all of them no longer worked at the School because they had quit or been killed, they were once whitecoats. They were once the few good ones. Maybe there were more. Maybe.

Iggy chuckled, "Exploding pizzas. Just another thing we have to worry about." Elisabeth had just realized that Iggy had started talking. She liked his laugh too. _You can't think about that right now. If he doesn't like you, you'll get hurt. Wait until he let's you know how he feels before you think about that. What use are you to Max, to the world, if you're crushed and hurt and upset? No use. So, stop. For now anyway._

She looked at him. She couldn't move or she didn't want to. Her legs felt like jelly. She just wanted to stand out on this porch with him forever. Watching sunset after sunset and sunrise after sunrise. Just the two of them. How perfect would that be? But it wasn't going to happen. The world would not stop spinning just because she had a little crush on Iggy. Time would not stop for her. No matter how much she wanted it to. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned to her.

"Come on. We better go back inside. They're probably worried." he whispered. Then he did something totally unexpected. He laced his fingers in hers. They were holding hands. Her heart pounded in her throat.

_There Ig._ He said to himself. _There. That wasn't so hard. All you had to do was reach out and grab it. That wasn't a bad start. You can work your way up to telling her your feelings later on. For right now, this is good enough. You'll let her know soon enough. You need to talk to her a little more first. You'll know the perfect moment to tell her. It'll just happen. Something inside will say "Okay, tell her now. Show her." Just give it a little more time. That's all you need, just a little more time._

"Yeah. Come on." she said, leading him into the house. A wave of warmth and excitement washed over her. Maybe she wouldn't be crushed. She just had to let the human side of her have total and complete control. The super-computer could handle the logic. This, what she was feeling, wasn't logic. It wasn't some equation she could solve or figure out. This would take time and plenty of spur of the moment decisions. This required almost no thinking. She was sure she could handle it. If he was with her she was sure she could. _This puzzle is going to take awhile to figure out, but I don't mind. Not even if it takes the rest of my life. No matter how long or short that might be._

As she turned to shut the door behind her, she looked at the sky. Now that she thought about it, Iggy's smile was a thousand times brighter and a million times more breath taking than the stars.

**That's it for now, but I will be making more chapters soon. I hope you enjoyed it. Please review! BTW: If you have any ideas for chapters let me know. I'd really appreciate it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay I know it's been awhile, but I've been suffering from writer's block. This is really just a filler chapter and the idea was given to me by a few of my friends. Enjoy!**

"Come on Total. Please." Angel pleaded. "This is really important."

"No," the dog argued, "This is really degrading. Sorry Angel, but I won't do it." Total had to be firm. There was no way she was getting him to do this. No way. Not even mind control could make him do this. He knew she would use it though, so he prepared for the worst.

_Do it Total. Listen to me. You know you want to. Just listen to me._

_No, Angel...I won't do it. You...can't...m...make me. I..I..have free...w...will. I...won't...listen. NO!!_

Angel sighed. That was it. When mind control wouldn't work this always did. She only used this weapon in the case of extreme emergency. It was way too powerful. It had to be used with extreme caution. She didn't want to do it, but there was no other way. She had to. "Total, I didn't want to do this, but you forced me." She flashed him the puppy dog eyes and whimpered. This worked on everyone. Even Max and Fang, the two most stubborn people she knew. That's exactly what Total was being. Stubborn. He'd overcome his stubbornness. She see to that.

Even though Total practically invented the puppy dog eyes, he wasn't immune to them and the whimpering just made it worse. _Fight it Total. Don't let her win. She may be your best friend but you are your own person...er...dog...mutant? Oh never mind! You have control over your decisions. But it's so sad and cute. Must...fight. Musn't...lose. If you let her win then this torture will stop. It's the only way. She's won. No! Yes! _

"Fine." he gave in. "What do I have to do exactly?" He hated when she did that to him. He absolutley hated it. He felt...invaded and used and exposed and weak.

Angel grinned. "All you have to do is find Iggy and Elisabeth and spy on them. I'll be able to read your mind and see what they're doing."

"Okay, but why do you need me to spy on them?"

Angel had several reasons for this, but the biggest one was that they were both obviously in love with each other and she wanted to help. She had tried pushing the thoughts out of their heads. It had helped a little. Now they knew how they felt about each other at least. But, unfortunately, Iggy knew what she was doing so she had to be careful. Which is why she needed Total to spy on them If Iggy saw her, he would know in an instant what was going on. But she wouldn't tell Total that. She loved the little dog, but he was a real blabbermouth. She needed to keep this a secret. For now anyways.

"Max told me to." she lied. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Max had told her to keep an eye on her. Technically, she was following Max's orders. She was just doing a little something extra. It wasn't bad really. In the long run it would help them. Iggy needed someone and so did Elisabeth. It was like a match made in heaven. Or something like that.

"Well why can't you spy on them? Why do I have to." Total asked.

"Because they'll notice me." she said. "Now come on." Angel got off the bed in the room she was sharing with Nudge and made her way over to the door.

Total shook his head, jumped off the bed, and went out the door when Angel opened it. She then walked back to the bed and waited for Total to say...er... think something.

_They're in the kitchen Angel_. Total thought. _I can't believe I'm doing this. Why did I let you talk me into this? Why couldn't I have just put my foot...er...paw down? I should've do-_

_Okay now be quiet and focus on what's going on. Sheesh, I can't work like this. You need to focus so I can see and hear what you do. Now concentrate._

Angel could see and hear everything Total could.

"So, what are we doing exactly?" she heard Elisabeth ask, handing Iggy a spoon.

"Making cookies." Iggy replied, smiling. "Mandarin orange chocolate chip cookies. My new recipe." he said stirring something in a bowl.

"Alright, batter's done. Now for the rest of the ingredients. Hand me the oranges and the bag of chocolate chips." he said.

She handed them to him. Angel didn't have to read her mind to tell what Elisabeth was thinking. It was written on her face. She was thrilled Iggy asked her to help him.

"Okay so what I'm going to do is zest the orange. That means that I take a cheese grater and rub the peel with it." he said showing her. "See the little flakes? That's what goes in. Trust me, it's good." Angel knew how Elisabeth felt about that. She had thought the same thing. How can the skin of an orange taste good? But it did. It was really delicious. Angel knew Elisabeth would love it when she tried it.

"If you say so." she said uncertainly.

"Now for the chocolate chips." he said, pouring in half the bag. He mixed it together and then held out the spoon to Elisabeth.

"Taste it." he said. "Trust me, you'll like it."

She took the spoon from him and tasted the batter.

"It's really delicious." she said smiling. She took another taste and closed her eyes and made a moaning sound. She really loved it. Angel knew she would.

_Okay Total. You can come back now._ Angel thought.

She figured it wasn't going to get anymore interesting.

_I have to help them_. She thought._ They need my help. I just have to make two teenagers admit their feelings for each other without getting caught by anyone and without Iggy getting suspicious all without using mind_ _control._ _But how? There must be someway, but how? _Angel began thinking of plans of action. That was what Max always did. Maybe she'd come up with something.

**Well that's it. I know it wasn't really exciting but like I said it's a filler. Trust me, it's about to get a whole lot better. Exciting, dramatic, heart-pounding kinda stuff will be coming. Just keep on reading and reviewing. Oh and like I said before, if you have any ideas or suggestions I'd really appreciate it. It would help so much. Oh and one last thing I know my chapters are short, but trust me when I type them out they're much longer. I will try to type up more in the future.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, I promised you guys an update, so here it is. Thank you all so much for the reviews. I'm glad you like my story that much. So without further ado, here's Chapter 7.**

Stanley Curtis and his partner, Mike Evans, cautiously walked down the long, dark hallway. Stanley was nervous. They were going to be in so much trouble with the Director. How could he have let this happen?

"Stan, which one of us is going to tell her?" Mike asked, wringing his hands. He really hoped it wasn't going to be him. Stan had been here much longer than he had. Besides, the Director really freaked him out. She was so calm. It was eerie. Her voice gave him chills. You never knew when she would snap. But he had a feeling Stan wasn't going to do it.

"No way am I doing it. I'm not telling her that we lost a million dollar experiment to a bunch of kids." Stan said. "You can do it. You let them get away. You let that little blonde girl kick your butt."

"Yeah, but you let the blind one kick yours." Mike hated it when Stan blamed everything on him. There were five other scientists down there. It was just as much their fault as it was his. Rivers was the one who got attacked by the little dog. But was he being forced to explain to the Director what happened? No. He was helping the others clean up the mess the kids made.

"That doesn't matter. I'm not going to tell her." Stan knew the Director was not going to be happy about this. They had let the super-computer get away. That could cause a lot of damage. He did not want the Director mad at him. She was scary when she was mad. Well, scarier than usual. That calm voice of hers made him shiver with fear. No, he wasn't going to be the one to tell her.

They had reached the end of the hallway. In front of them, was a huge metal door. Well, they had reached the Directors office. Stan shoved his cowardly partner forward. Mike turned around, he was pale and clammy. He was really scared. Oh well, that wasn't Stan's problem. He knocked on the door. The noise made a creepy echo. They waited for permission to enter.

"You may come in." the creepy voice of the Director announced. The door swung open. They quietly entered the dimly lit room. On the wall in front of them, there were big computer screens and a world map with little blinking lights. There was also a huge wooden desk with a chair behind it. The chair was facing the wall.

"So, you wished to speak with me about something." a voice said from the chair. It was the Director. There was no mistaking the chilly voice, like an icy wind. It was cold and harsh, but quiet and calm.

Stan nudged Mike forward. Mike was shivering with fear. He kept wringing his hands and looking at Stan. The idiot was going to make her mad. The Director did not like to be kept waiting. When she wanted something done, it had to be done at that exact moment.

"Well, what is it that you wanted? the Director asked again. "You called me out of a very important meeting for this. I would like to know why. So, tell me. NOW!"

Uh oh. Mike had done it. He had made her mad. The idiot had doomed them. Now she would be even more angry that they lost the experiment. She would fie them all. Or worse. He had heard of her ordering some of the scientists to be exterminated.

"Umm…w…w…well. Y…y…you see. Umm…w…w…well… an experiment…h…has…escaped." Mike said chuckling nervously. This was not funny at all. So why was he laughing. Oh man, he was so fired. He knew it. There was no doubt. Why had he ever taken this job? He knew it was risky when he was offered it. If only he had just said no.

"Which one?" the Director asked. There was a hint of exasperation in her voice. The Director was not pleased. Not pleased at all. And the way Mike was handling this made it all so much worse. Like, a thousand times worse. Maybe he should have done it, or gotten someone else. Too late now. The damage was done.

"The umm…prisoner in the basement. The umm…super…umm…the super-computer." He winced. He shut his eyes tight and screwed up his face. He was a coward and he knew it, but he thought even Stan would cower in fear if she had asked him what had happened.

"What?!" she asked. She spun around in her chair and Mike opened his eyes a crack. She was outraged. She was livid. The look on her face was murderous.

"Experiment E-1?! You lost Experiment E-1?! Do you realize what could happen?! Do you know what this means?! Do you know how much damage this will cause?! Do you know how this could jeopardize everything I've worked so hard for?! What happened?! Who took her?!"

"I…I…d…don't know. It was a bunch of kids and…and…a little dog. We tried to stop them, but…but there were too many of them. There weren't that many of us down there, and we aren't trained to fight." Mike knew he was in big trouble. No matter what he, said the Director would blame him, fire him, or worse.

"Show me the security tapes!" she shouted. The screens behind her buzzed and whirred and hummed and glowed with life. The Director turned around in her chair and watched the tapes closely.

They could see the fight. It was bad. Mike couldn't believe his eyes. They had gotten beaten by a bunch of little kids. The little girl that beat him couldn't be older than seven.

Suddenly, they saw a girl jump on a table. "Pause it!" the Director shouted. It paused. "Now zoom in" The girl's face filled the screen. Her expression was a mixture of anger and fear.

The Director's face curled into an eerie smile. She had seen exactly what she had wanted to see. "Ah, yes. Maximum." she said, still grinning. "We meet again, but this time, you will not be so fortunate. This time, you will not escape. This time, I will destroy you and your precious flock."

**Okay, so there was Chapter 7. I know it's kinda short, like shorter than usual, but it's kinda like another filler. I thought I'd let you meet the bad guys in this chapter. Don't worry, there is a lot more Iggy and Elisabeth in a couple of chapters, but the next one is going to be a chapter for Max. Please keep reading and reviewing. Chapter 8 is in the making and I will try to have it up within the next week or so, but things happen, so we'll see. Again, if you have an idea let me know, and I'll credit you. Thanks again for those reviews you sent me. Keep looking for an update. One will be coming soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay I just got finished writing Chapter 8 and I'm putting it up, but first I have some things to say. I don't have any POVs because I write my stories like James Patterson. The only POV is Max's. Ok. Got it? Good. Ok now here's Chapter 8. BTW, this is Max's chapter.**

I had been lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about everything that just happened, when there was a knock on the door. I really didn't want to get up, so I didn't. Whoever it was, they were just gonna have to ask to come in and then open the door themselves.

"Max. It's me sweetie. Can I come in?" It was mom. I loved how she wasn't like other mothers that just barged in their kid's room, whether they wanted them in there or not. Mine actually asked me. I knew that if I said no, that she'd leave and come back later. But of course I was going to let her come in.

"Yeah, you can come in. Just open the door. It's unlocked." I said, sitting up. She probably wanted to reassure me about this whole thing. She wanted to make sure I was okay. That's what kind of mom she is.

She opened the door slowly, and smiled at me framed in the doorway. She closed the door behind her, locked it, and walked over towards the bed. I tucked in my wings and moved over so she would have some room to sit down. She sat next to me and turned to talk to me.

"So, I guess you're a little uneasy about Elisabeth?" my mom asked.

"It's not that I don't like her or anything, it's just, I have to be careful don't I?" I replied truthfully. Maybe after awhile I'd like her, but right now, I just didn't trust her. It'd take a long while though.

"Well, you'll get used to her eventually I suppose." We sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So, is that all you came in here for?" I asked curiously. Knowing my mom, there was bound to be another reason. I mean, something had to be going on. She wouldn't just come in here to ask me if I was ok. I mean, she knew I was fine. A little paranoid, but otherwise fine.

She sighed. "You got me. Now, this is only an idea, but we, Jeb and I, were thinking about enrolling you in school. Temporarily of course. Only to keep you safe. You know that Itex is still looking for you guys, and I worry about you being on the run. I know you can handle yourself, but I'm a mother. Worrying is in the job description. Ella and I would have to move. We wouldn't mind though, cause it wouldn't be that far away. I've found a pretty large house. All I have to do is sign and it's ours, so what do you think about it?"

Us going to school? We had gone for a few months back in Virginia. That was a complete disaster, but the kids loved it. Well, the little kids anyway. I wasn't too sure about Fang and Iggy. If we went, it might make it easier to keep an eye on Elisabeth. Besides that, we'd get three good meals a day, I'd be with mom and Ella, we wouldn't be on the run, and I'd be able to take hot showers. It did sound appealing. But no private school. No uniforms either. And what about Iggy? He'd probably be alright if he had one of us in all of his classes. But I also wanted a school with kindergarten through twelfth grade. That way, we wouldn't be separated.

"Two conditions." I said finally. "One: We go to a school that has every grade, but no uniforms. Two: Someone has to have every class with Iggy." Maybe that was asking a little much. Well, if she couldn't find one with every grade, I'd be ok. But uniforms? No way. Not in a million years.

My mom smiled and said "It's a deal."

I couldn't believe what I'd just done. I had put us all back into school. Fang was gonna kill me. I was gonna kill myself. _I had to do it. _I told myself. _It was the only way to keep watch on Elisabeth at all times. I mean, how was I supposed to do that while flying, or sleeping, or kicking butt._

_But why do you need to Max? _The Voice asked. _Why can't you just trust her? She's just like Fang. You trust him. Don't you?_

The Voice was asking more questions than usual. It usually told me what to do, or gave me fortune-cookie crap, that I was supposed to figure out on my own. _Of course I trust Fang, but she isn't like him. They only look alike. She isn't like him in any other way._

_Think about it Max. They're both quiet and closed off, they're both exceptionally bright, they both are gonna do whatever it takes to help you and they both-_

"Max? You okay?" mom asked, interrupting the Voice. I was actually very glad about that. The Voice was getting annoying. It went from confusing me, to telling me what to do, to getting involved in my life. I really wished I had a different ability. Anything would be better than the Voice. Anything.

"I'm fine. Just hungry." I said. Well, it wasn't a total lie. I was really hungry. I really wished the pizza would hurry up. It had at least been thirty minutes, so that would mean those seven pizzas I ordered were free. That was the bright side to having to wait a long time for food to come.

"Ok. Well you can tell everyone the news at dinner."

News? What news? Oh…right. School. I had almost forgotten about that. I had a very strong feeling that mom knew I had forgotten about it. Ok, so it wasn't a feeling. I knew she had known that I'd forgotten.

"Okay." I said, as mom walked towards the door. She opened it and walked out, shutting it behind her. She knew I needed time alone so I could take in everything that had happened today. See? She was the best mom ever.

I sat for a few moments thinking about what the Voice had said about Elisabeth and Fang. Maybe they were a little more alike than I thought. But, what was the Voice going to say mom interrupted. They both…what?

The doorbell jerked me out of my thoughts. The sound of the doorbell could only mean one thing. The pizza was finally here. I ran out of my room and headed straight for the stairs, when I collided with Fang.

"Ow!" he said, rubbing his head. "I was just coming to get you. The pizza's downstairs and if you don't hurry, Total's going to eat yours." he stood up, then grabbed my arm and pulled me up. He was a good four inches taller than me, but I could still whip his butt, and fly circles around him.

"Thanks." I said. We headed downstairs together. Fang was being quieter than usual. He always talked to me. Sometimes, a little too much. He looked at me, and I understood. He was just thinking. That was so like Fang.

"Fang, listen. I just wanted to-" I started to say, but I was interrupted by…Nudge. Of course. I hadn't realized we reached the dining room.

"Ooh goody. Max is here. Now we can eat. I'm starving. Everyone else is too. Especially Elisabeth. Did you know she usually only got sandwiches and apples at the School? She's never even had chocolate before. So, Iggy made a batch of mandarin orange chocolate chip cookies and let her lick the spoon. And now, since the pizza's here, she gets to try that too. Oh, but Iggy won't let us eat the cookies until after we eat our pizza, but I know Total ate one. So-"

"No Nudge, I didn't know any of that stuff." I sighed. "But thanks for telling me." I sat down at the table next to Ella. Fang sat down on my other side and Nudge sat on Ella's other side. Iggy sat in front of me, with Gazzy and Elisabeth on either side, while Angel sat next to Elisabeth.

They all started their own conversations and dug in to some pizza. Iggy and Gazzy talked about explosives while Elisabeth listened, occasionally laughing. Nudge, Angel, and Ella talked about clothes and other girly stuff. Fang was eating and typing stuff on his blog. He was usually doing that. Me? Well I was thinking about what I had to tell them while eating a huge slice of pizza.

I sighed and Angel looked at me. I tried not to think about us going to school, but…

"Hey guys! Max says we're going to school!" Angel shouted gleefully. Nudge let out a squeal and Fang looked at me frowning. Uh oh. Secret's out.

**Well that's it. Now, I know what you're thinking. Everyone makes them go to school. Well, I had to for some of the ideas I have. They won't work unless I have them go to school for awhile, but it won't be for awhile now. Keep reading and reviewing! Will update soon. Promise. Oh when I typed this out it was four pages long I swear.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok guys, I finished Chapter 9. Amazingly, it only took a couple of days. I hope you like it. Oh and I just wanted you guys to know that I still need a couple of ideas, so if you want to help me out, just let me know somehow. Well, here's Chapter 9.**

"Are you serious?" Gazzy asked. "We're really going to school?" You could tell he was excited. It wasn't everyday he heard Max say this. He really liked school and was glad to be getting back to it. School meant good food and no more desert rat. Yuck. What more could an eight year old ask for. Okay, so there were a lot of things, but this was pretty good.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you guys so bad." Ella said smiling. "It was really hard to keep it a secret, but mom made me swear not to tell you guys. I wasn't even allowed to think about 'cause of Angel. It was like almost impossible, but I guess I did it."

_That's why Ella was more excited to see us than usual. _Angel thought. _I knew she was excited about something. I could feel it, but I couldn't seem to figure out what it was. Well, I know now._

Dr. Martinez and Jeb came in with some papers. They sat down at the table and Jeb cleared his throat. Everyone stopped talking, laughing, and eating, so they could hear what was going on. They knew it was important. Fang had even stopped typing.

"Now, since you're going to be enrolled in school, it would be best to go over some things with you." he said looking at Max, who rigidly nodded in understanding. She didn't like Jeb giving orders. It was her flock, her family, not his. "In case anyone asks why you all live together, you tell them that Dr. Martinez adopted all of you, except for Max and Ella. Those of you who are blood siblings, will still be blood siblings." He stopped to make sure everyone understood, then he took a deep breath and continued.

"Okay, next we need to give everyone an identity. I'm sure the reason why is obvious. Max, you can pick first, seeing as how you are the leader and the oldest." Jeb said grabbing the stack of papers and a pen.

"Max Martinez. Duh Jeb. What else would I pick? Mom and Ella aren't changing their names, and they are my family. Besides, I like my name just fine. I don't need another one." Max said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Of course." he said writing something down on a piece of paper. "Okay, Elisabeth, what about you?" he asked the bird-girl, who had just been sitting there, not moving, just listening.

"You mean, I get to go to school too?" she asked sounding puzzled and looking shocked. What had she thought they were going to do? Keep her locked up like they did at the School? Not let her have any freedom? Well, she had been treated like that for an awfully long time.

"Why wouldn't you?" Iggy asked, perplexed. "You're a part of the flock now. You're one of us. Where we go, you go. If we go to school, so do you. If we go on a mission, so do you. Right guys?"

Everyone nodded. Elisabeth felt kind of dumb and embarrassed. _Well of course they'd let me go with them. Why wouldn't I get to go with them? Why'd I ask such a dumb question? _Angel wanted to comfort her, but then Jeb spoke again.

"So, what do you want your name to be?" Jeb asked again.

She thought for awhile. She like her first name, Dr. Mullins had given it to her. She had named her for her grand-mother, her favorite person. But what about a last name? _I got it!_ She thought. _It's perfect._

"Elisabeth Mullins." she said quietly. She looked at Iggy. She wished…what? That she could read minds like Angel and was able to tell what he was thinking about…her? Yes, that was what she wanted. She hated being super smart. Too much logic. Too many headaches. Jeb started talking, so she turned her attention back to him.

"Mullins okay with you Fang? She is your sister, so, obviously, you will both have to have the same last name." Jeb said writing on another piece of paper.

"Fine with me. Nick Mullins. Figgy's turn." Fang replied quickly. He really didn't care. He really didn't want to have to pick out an identity at all. He just wanted to be Fang, a free bird-kid…well sort of free. Was being on the run considered free? That was something to think about. Another thing was why she…alright, his sister, picked Mullins for a last name.

"Thanks Fnick." Iggy said, and then he started to think. He pretended to be in deep concentration, which made Gaz laugh. The end of his tongue had crept to the corner of his mouth and was poking out. Elisabeth laughed a little too. Then everyone did. "Jeff Smith." he said finally.

"Oh, how original Iggy." Max said jokingly. "It took you five minutes to come up with that. You must be really tired. All that thinking, you know. You're not used to using your brain so much." Iggy then stuck his tongue out her and mumbled something that nobody could understand.

"Okay, now it's Nudge's turn." Jeb said, and everyone went silent again. He grabbed another piece of paper and looked at Nudge.

"I'm not ready yet." Nudge said. "Let Angel or Gazzy go next cause I need a little more time. I want my name to be something really pretty and special and I haven't found the right name yet." She said and went back to thinking.

"Okay then. Angel, sweetie, I guess it's your turn since Nudge isn't ready yet." he said grabbing a different sheet of paper.

"Hmmm…" Angel thought. "I like the name Angie Davidson." she said, then she looked at the Gasman for a second. "Oh Gazzy, they aren't gonna make fun of the name you picked out. No, they aren't gonna laugh either. Okay, fine, I'll tell them then, if you won't." she said sighing. "Gazzy wants his name to be Greg Davidson."

"I like it." Elisabeth said, smiling at Gazzy. "It's a nice name. Why would we make fun of it?"

"See Gazzy, I told you." Angel said. "Boys worry about the dumbest things." She shot a glance at Iggy, who shifted around uncomfortably in his seat while everyone looked at him. He felt the red heat rise up into his cheeks, burning. He hoped no one noticed, but he couldn't be sure. He was blind after all.

"Yes, well…Nudge have you picked out your name yet?" Jeb asked trying to fill the very awkward silence that had resulted.

"Yep." she said grinning. "It was the prettiest name I could think of. Anastasia Marie Anabelle Lily Michelle Alexandria Tiffany Sophie Lake." she said taking an extremely deep breath.

"How are we supposed to remember all of that?" Iggy asked. That name she picked out had made his head spin. "No, better yet, how are you supposed to remember all of that? That's got to be the longest name in the history of the entire universe. It gives me a headache just thinking about it."

"Nudge, what I think Iggy is trying to say is that, while that is a very beautiful name, it's just a little too long. Can you try to shorten it a little?" She asked, kicking Iggy really hard in the shin, under the table.

"Okay." Nudge sighed. "How about Alexandria Tiffany Lake? Alex for short.." You could tell she was a little upset that she couldn't have the name she worked so hard to pick out, but she was not going to throw a fit. Besides, she doubted she could spell all of that anyway. She would have a time with just Alexandria Tiffany Lake as it was.

"That's better. It's still a very pretty name anyway." Max said smiling, trying to make Nudge feel a little better. Nudge smiled too, so she would show Max that she was okay.

"Okay." Jeb said. "Now that that's all settled, I believe Max wanted to have someone be in everyone of Iggy's classes to help him and make sure he doesn't get lost." Max nodded and an argument broke out.

_Oh good. _Angel thought as Iggy complained about being treated like a "helpless little baby". _Now's my chance to help Iggy and Elisabeth. I know Max will have picked Fang like she always does, but if I can "convince" her to pick Elisabeth instead…But I can't do that. I've never ever tried to control Max's mind before. Now I know why she always talks to me about ethics and stuff. It's wrong to control Max's mind, even if it is for a good reason. So, what am I going to do now?_

"Iggy, Elisabeth's going to be in all of your classes and that's final." Max said. _Wait a minute. _Angel thought. _I didn't do anything. Did I? Oh. Max wants Iggy to keep an eye on Elisabeth. Well, I didn't have to do anything after all._

"I don't need…wait. Did you say Elisabeth?" Iggy asked eagerly. A small grin crept across his face. He'd be with her all of the time now. It was perfect. This way, he could…what? He'd figure that out later. He knew everyone was staring at him again. He could feel their eyes boring holes into his face. But, he wasn't so sure he cared.

"Yeah, I did." Max said looking a little confused. "And I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Yes ma'am." Iggy said saluting her. Max rolled her eyes while everyone else laughed. Iggy always had to have the last word. He also always had to be a clown. That's what made him Iggy; his sense of humor. Without it he was just…dead.

"Hey." Nudge said jumping up. "We haven't had Iggy's cookies yet. Can we have one before bed Max? Please?" Nudge asked using the puppy dog eyes. She didn't even wait for a reply. She just ran into the kitchen while everyone followed behind her.

When they got to the doorway to the kitchen, they all saw Total sprawled out in the middle of the floor on his back. Cookie crumbs where everywhere; on him and the floor.

"Oh no." Max moaned, clapping her hand to her forehead and rolling her eyes for the third time that night.

"Let me guess." Iggy said sighing. "Total ate all of the cookies. The whole batch."

Total burped and chuckled, "Hi guys. What's up? Dinner over already? Delicious cookies Ig. They're my new favorite. Is it eleven o'clock already? I'm beat." He yawned. "Well I'm off to bed then, I guess. Night." He jumped up, ran out of the kitchen, and up the stairs.

"Honestly. Why'd I ever let Angel keep that dog?" Max asked thinking out loud to herself while they cleaned up the kitchen.

_Cause you and Fang just can't say no to me. _Angel answered in Max's head. _Don't worry, I'll have a serious talk with him about listening and stuff, I promise. Just don't get mad Max, okay?_ _Please_ _Max. _

"Let's all get to bed then." Dr. Martinez said after they got the kitchen cleaned up. "It's really late and we have a lot of things to do tomorrow."

No one had any objections to that. They were all tired. They all crawled upstairs and, not even bothering to change, flopped into their beds and went to sleep. Elisabeth was the only one up it seemed. She couldn't fall asleep, so she sat up and thought. _Okay, I have a twin brother now. I'm going to school soon and I have a crush on Iggy. Oh Iggy. Why can't I just talk to him about this? _She stood up and crossed over to the second story window. It was the perfect night for a fly.

**Okay, well that's it. It was mostly just something to get me to chapter 10 in which Fang and Elisabeth have a little brother/sister moment. Keep reading and reviewing.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I tried really hard to get this chapter finished today and I succeeded! Yay for me! Well, like I said this is kind of a brother/sister moment for Fang and Elisabeth. Well, I just hope you like it. **

Fang had been half asleep, when his computer beeped, signaling a new message. He had just posted a new blog all about his sister and almost everything that had happened to them that day. He mentioned everything except for school. He couldn't believe Max had agreed to that. Oh well. Nothing he could do about it. He opened the laptop, clicked on the message, and read.

The message was probably the single dumbest question he had ever been asked and he had been asked some pretty dumb questions before. The question was, "Dude is your sister hot?" He had been woken up for that and now he couldn't get back to sleep. He cursed **flameDude94 **as he crossed the room, over to the window, being careful not to step on Iggy, who had fallen out of bed.

He looked out the window and out into the night. It was pitch-dark, except for the faint glow of the moon. He was just about to crawl back into his nice, warm, comfortable bed and try to get to sleep before dawn, when he saw a figure on the porch. He looked closely and saw that it was Elisabeth.

_What's she doing out this late? _He wondered as he watched her get ready to take off. _Max would want me to follow her. _He reasoned, and with that, he pulled on his jacket and his shoes, carefully opened the window, turned around to make sure Iggy and the Gasman weren't awake, and took off into the cool night air.

He loved flying, especially at night. The wind blowing through his hair, the feeling of being free like a bird, it was all just so awesome. He felt at one with the world, even though it sounded really corny. _Focus Fang. You gotta find her. _He turned his attention to the ground below. He scowered the forest looking for her. _Come on. _He thought. _Where are you? Where-aha! _He had found her near a clearing. He landed a few feet away from her and, trying to not to make any sound, hid behind a clump of trees and listened and watched.

She paced back and forth, muttering under her breath. As Fang watched, she started getting louder and louder, until he could finally make out what she was saying.

"If I'm so smart, then why do I act so dumb? He doesn't like me. And even if he did, what would I do? I have no clue how to handle a situation like that. Why couldn't they have filled my head with useful information like how to tell whether a boy likes you, instead of the atomic weight of roentgenium? I mean, when am I ever gonna use that?" She said, kicking a rock into the trees that came dangerously close to Fang's head. "Why is this so hard? Why are boys so confusing? Why do I like Iggy so much? Why can't I just stop thinking about him? This is driving me crazy!"

_Oh. _Fang thought. _She likes Iggy. That would explain a whole lot. _As he continued to watch her, he saw that she acted just like him. She beat herself up about the mixed signals Iggy was giving her, just like he did with Max, she paced, and she even punched any solid thing in sight when she got frustrated. It was sort of like watching a video of himself, except for the fact that Elisabeth was a girl.

Fang decided he had seen enough and that she wasn't up to anything. She really was just a harmless girl, who was locked away at the School her whole life. He turned to leave. Crack! Oh no. He had stepped on a stick and it had snapped in half. He didn't dare turn around. He hoped that Elisabeth hadn't heard that but…

"Who's there? Who are you and what do you want?" She grabbed a long stick that Fang really didn't want to be hit upside the head with. He could tell she was scared. There was fear in her voice. She was afraid it was a Whitecoat or a Flyboy or something worse. He was going to stay perfectly still, but for some reason he changed his mind.

He turned around and walked towards her. "Don't worry. It's just me, Fang." She didn't drop the stick, but she walked towards him with a suspicious look on her face. He'd seen this look on Max before and knew it meant big trouble.

"Why'd you follow me? Why'd you scare me like that? What did you hear?" she asked shaking. She looked angry. Fang didn't blame her. Living half of his life in a cage had made him somewhat suspicious of people, but Elisabeth had lived her life chained down to a cold metal bed. That was much worse.

"Calm down." Fang said calmly. "I followed you because, to tell the truth, I thought you were up to something. I didn't mean to scare you, I was just leaving and I stepped on a stick and it snapped in half." She dropped the stick, so he continued. "As to what I heard, well…you don't have to worry about Iggy finding out your secret. I won't tell."

"Why should I trust you? How do I know you won't say anything?" she said. There was a hint of panic in her voice and he could see the fear and worry in her eyes. She had a point. How was she supposed to trust him? They barely knew each other.

"Because I have no reason to lie to you. It wouldn't help me at all." He had turned around to leave, when he felt her hand grab his shoulder. He turned back around and looked at her.

"Fang," she said, gathering up her courage. "Umm…I…thanks." she finished. She hated having to apologize, just like he did. There was no doubt about it now; they were related.

He sighed, knowing what was coming. He stretched out his arms, closed his eyes, and prepared to be tackled.

"What are you doing?" Elisabeth asked, looking at him strangely.

He opened his eyes. "Aren't you going to hug me?' he asked, confused. He dropped his arms. "Cause usually when I do something nice, I get smothered with hugs." Angel, Nudge, and even Max, sometimes, hugged him whenever he did something incredibly nice. He assumed it was a girl thing.

"Do you want me to hug you?"

"Not really."

"Well, okay then."

"I guess we should be getting back." Fang said. Gazzy had probably woken up with some kind of nightmare or Max had woken up and seen that Elisabeth was gone. Either scenario wasn't good.

"Guess so." Elisabeth said. She stretched her wings out and took off, Fang close behind her. _Maybe he's not so bad after all._ She thought to herself. _Maybe I'll really like being part of the flock._

**Well that was it. I really hope you liked it. Chapter 11 is in the process of being finished and I will try to have it up sometime this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed. Keep reading and reviewing. **


	11. Chapter 11

**All right, I finally got this chapter finished. It took longer then I expected. This weekend was just way too crazy and I didn't have much time for writing. I was really upset when I didn't get it finished like I promised, so I worked on it a lot yesterday. So, here's Chapter 11 for your enjoyment.**

It had been a week since we had rescued Elisabeth and since I agreed for the flock to be enrolled in school. Fang was still a little mad, but everyone else was excited. Okay maybe excited wasn't the best word. They were more like ecstatic. Yeah, that was it. What a week it had been we had moved into our new house and gotten stuff for school. You know, normal stuff. For once.

Let me tell you about our awesome house. It kind of looked like the one mom and Ella had lived in, except it was yellow. What was different was that this house had a gigantic pool in the backyard and a little forest. It had tons of room. There was this huge basement that had enough room for Ella, Nudge, and Angel to put all of their stuff in and share. Iggy and Fang shared a room right next to Elisabeth's and mine. I know what you're thinking, but I had to share with her. There was no room anywhere else and besides, I could keep an eye on her much easier this way. Gazzy got his own room because of his…little problem. He didn't mind though. It was perfect. Okay, so maybe it wasn't perfect. Fine, it wasn't even close. In fact, it was far, far from it.

"Gazzy! Give me back Celeste!" Angel screamed, chasing Gazzy through the living room. "She's not yours! Give her to me! Gazzy!" The Gasman had stolen Angel's favorite stuffed bear that she had "gotten" from a lady at a toy store in New York. The bear was dressed like an angel. You can see why she meant so much to Angel. Anyway, Gazzy had stolen Celeste and had been tormenting Angel since right after breakfast.

"You have to catch me first!" Gazzy shouted, going through the kitchen, holding Celeste high in the air and out of Angel's reach. As he came in the room, I grabbed the bear out of his hands and gave it back to Angel. "No fair Max!" Gazzy said, pretending to pout. Angel walked out of the room and I followed her back into the living room and sat on the couch. That was just the latest fight I had had to break up and it obviously wasn't going to be the last.

"Where's my laptop?" Fang asked, thundering down the stairs. After breakfast, he had gone up to his room to type something on his blog. He had taken to locking himself in a room and typing for hours on end. I had been worried about him, but he seemed back to his semi-normal self for the moment. "Iggy, you were the last one in the room. What did you do with it?" Fang asked standing in the hallway.

"I didn't take your stinking laptop Fang! Maybe you left it somewhere!" Iggy shouted from the dining room where he was playing checkers with Elisabeth. "But, that isn't possible, because you never misplace anything! Besides, why would I take it?! How would I get the chance? You always have it with you. You practically sleep with it! If it was waterproof you'd probably shower with it." Fang turned a little pink around his ears at that comment.

"Well, it sure as heck didn't fly off my bed." Fang said angrily. "Someone had to have messed with it, and you were the last one in the room. You have to know what happened to it. I mean, it is common sense."

"I'm freaking blind, you retard! You may not have noticed, but I can't see where the heck you lay your laptop or if it's still there when I go up there to put away the laundry!" Iggy said. He was sensitive about being blind, and Fang had just touched a major nerve. Okay, so it was more like he hit it with all his might and skipped rope with it. I know, why wasn't I doing anything? I figured Fang needed to be taught a lesson about keeping track of his things and about being insensitive.

"He didn't take it Fang. He's been playing checkers with me since we finished eating breakfast." Elisabeth said, trying to relieve the tension. She moved her black checker piece over to Iggy's end of the board. "King me Iggy." she said, trying to distract him, but it was no use.

"Who asked you Elisabeth?" Fang shouted, causing Elisabeth to look hurt and turn her eyes to the floor. "I don't recall saying anything to you. Now, Iggy where's my laptop? And don't tell me you don't know." Fang said again, getting angry. I still didn't do anything. They needed to work this out for themselves. I just sat there and watched.

"I told you. For the millionth time I don't know!" Iggy shouted, throwing the checkerboard to the ground. Black and red pieces hit Elisabeth and Fang and bounced off the table, into the floor. "You always blame me when your stuff goes missing! I didn't touch it so leave me alone!" Iggy sat back down in his chair and sent Elisabeth an apologetic glance, who smiled back. She knew he hadn't meant to ruin their game.

"Max, how do you spell "awesome"?" Nudge asked me, walking into the dining room with Fang's laptop. "I'm trying to tell this famous person that her shirt is awesome, but I can't spell it." She looked at Fang, who was staring at her like she just committed grand-theft-auto.

"Nudge, give me my laptop. I've told all of you not to touch it without my permission." Fang said, taking it away from her. It was obvious that Fang was blowing this whole think out of proportion. It was just a freaking laptop. Geez. You'd think it wouldn't matter so much.

"Chillax Fang." Nudge said rolling her eyes. "I was only commenting on a celebrity's pictures. It's not like I was going to keep your computer. I was just going to borrow it for like five seconds, but no. You have to go all crazy. It's a free country you know. I can borrow whatever I want." I still wasn't going to do anything. This should be simple to work out. Fang just had to apologize for being a mean control freak. Okay, maybe it wasn't so simple.

"Well I don't care if it's a free country. I told you and everybody else to stay off of my laptop and that's what I meant." Fang yelled at Nudge. He was being really mean about this. He was going nuts over something that didn't really matter. _What is going on with my flock? _I asked myself.

"I told you I didn't take it!" Iggy shouted, punching Fang in the jaw. A huge fight broke out. Everyone was screaming, yelling, hitting, kicking, and punching. I couldn't take it. I had to do something. I was getting a headache and they were liable to kill each other.

"Okay that's it! Everyone shut up!" I yelled and they all fell silent. That's why I loved being the leader. Everyone had to listen to me. "I have had it with all of you! We are going outside now! We've been stuck in this house far too long! You guys are going crazy! What we all need is some fresh air!" I walked to the front door and held it open while they all walked outside and that was that. Simple. None of this "stupid useless arguing" stuff. Just plain old orders. I say, you do it.

We walked a little while before Gazzy said, "Where are we going anyways?" That was a very good question. I really didn't know.

"Umm…not sure. We'll just walk for a while and see if we can't find something to do." We continued to walk in silence looking at our new neighborhood. No one said a word as we passed a bunch of houses. Suddenly, we came across a playground. Perfect. Just what they needed. Somewhere to run around and burn up all of this energy that they had built up in them. Two solid weeks of sitting around had really messed them up. I wanted us all to get an hour or two of flying a day, you know excercise and training for Elisabeth since she had a little trouble landing, but no. Jeb said that we might be seen. He just thought that I would get the flock to make a run for it, but I wouldn't have. Only because of my mom and Ella, but still.

"Okay guys. Go have fun." I said to Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge. They walked stiffly over to the swings. They were all mad at each other and it was obvious there wasn't going to be much talking. Fang, Elisabeth, Iggy, and I all sat down on a bench, but me and Elisabeth purposely sat between the boys. This was going to be a long afternoon. It was also going to be a very uncomfortable afternoon, in which I would have to talk to myself or else I would go crazy with the complete and utter, deafening silence. I sighed and then tried to think of a happier time when we were all together, not arguing, and not running for our lives. As you can probably guess, that hadn't happened much.

We all sat in silence, watching the little kids play, when a couple of girls came up to us. The taller one had short, black hair and dark blue eyes. She was wearing a shirt with a volleyball and the words "Livingston Jr. Sr. High School" on it. She was also wearing a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. _Livingston Jr. Sr. High School. That's where we're going._ I thought. I assumed the two girls were sisters because they looked alike. The other girl had long black hair that was swept up into a ponytail. She had dark blue eyes too, and was wearing a white jacket over a plain yellow t-shirt, jeans, and a pair of white sandals.

"Hi." said the girl with long hair. "My name's Caressa and this is my twin sister, Christina." she said smiling brightly. They seemed okay, but I was still a little concerned. Why did they just come up to us all of a sudden? I mean, did normal kids do this kind of stuff? Did they see some random kid that they didn't know and come up to them and asked them if they were new and where they were from and try to make friends with them? I mean, I didn't know how this worked, but I guessed they did. Or at least, some of them.

"Actually, I go by Chris. Never ever call me Christina, Chrissy, or Christy unless you want to be spitting teeth." Chris said. I liked this girl. She wasn't all giggly like most girls my age. She was kinda tough, I guess. I decided they were okay, so I talked to them.

"I'm Max." I told them. "These are my adopted brothers and sisters. This is Elisabeth, Jeff, and Nick, and over there are Angie, Greg, and Alex. We just moved here from another part of Arizona. I have another sister, Ella. She's related to me by blood. Elisabeth and Nick are twins, just like you guys, and Angie and Greg are two years apart." Elisabeth, Iggy, and Fang nodded, but didn't say anything. I guess, they were checking them out. Or maybe they were thinking to themselves that I was crazy and wondered why I was talking to two complete and total strangers.

"We kind of figured you were new here." Chris said. "This is a small town and when you're born here you really know everyone, but we've never seen you." she said. "So I guess you guys are going to Livingston cause it's the only junior high/high school in this town, but what grade are you in?"

"Ninth." I said. "We start tomorrow." I couldn't believe it. I was having a normal conversation with complete strangers. Oh well. I can usually tell bad people from good people, and they seemed nice so, why not make a few friends?

"Cool so are we." Caressa said. They gave us a ton of information like, what teachers to look out for, the nice teachers, and what days to bring lunch from home. It started getting dark when Caressa decided they needed to get going. "Well we gotta get home, so we'll see you tomorrow then." she said. Her and her sister waved and then walked off. I decided we needed to get going too, so I rounded everyone up and we went home. _School here we come. Let's just hope that nobody finds out we have wings and that they think that we are just regular kids living regular lives. _I thought. _Please let this work. Don't let this be another Virginia. Please._

**Okay, that's the end of Chapter 11. I think it was my longest chapter yet. It was eight pages when I typed it up. In the next chapter, they'll be going to school and meeting new people. I think you'll like it. Please, please, please review and tell your friends about me. I would really appreciate it. Thank you so much. I'll update as soon as I can. I really hope you like my story. Stay tuned for more.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 is ready to roll! This is basically just a chapter where they get to school and get their classes and stuff. I know what you're thinking. This is supposed to be a tribute to Iggy, so where is all of the Iggy and Elisabeth stuff I promised you? Well, I'm getting to that. This is going to be a long fanfic. Right now, I want to get them settled. Then when you least expect it…BAM! So just, relax and enjoy the fanfic the way it is. We'll get to that suspenseful, romantic stuff I promised you. Just enjoy the ride while it's slow and calm. Well, let's get started.**

I had been having a really good dream, when I had been jerked awake by a loud beeping noise. I panicked, because I thought it was a bomb. I soon realized it was my alarm clock and shut it off. Can you say "paranoid"? I yawned, stretched, and then, just as I was about to get up, I heard a noise in the closet. _What the heck?_ I thought. I had long since stopped thinking that Elisabeth was going to kill me in my sleep, so when I didn't see her in her bed, I didn't freak out. Much. I heard the noise again and slowly walked towards the closet, being quiet and careful. I put my hand on the knob slowly and when I heard the noise again, I flung the door open. What did I see? Elisabeth, pulling on a jacket and staring at me. Apparently, the noise I heard was her moving around in there, getting dressed.

"Sorry." I said to Elisabeth, whose face was a bright shade of red. We had found out that she gets embarrassed easily. "I heard a noise and thought…" I trailed off. I looked like a really horrible person. I just barged in on her. I didn't know she was in there or that she was changing. She nodded in understanding and walked out of the closet. I heard the door close and sat in the floor. She was so much like Fang, with the way she acted and the whole quiet thing, that sometimes, when I was telling her something and she wouldn't say anything and just nodded, I would forget and would consider hitting her upside the head. But then I would remember and then just go on with whatever. She was really quiet. For the first couple of days, I didn't think that she could talk. So far, she had only talked to Iggy and, a couple of times, Fang.

I sighed, shook my head, stood up, and got ready for…school. _Why'd I ever agree to this? I hate getting up early. _I looked in the closet for a second and then just grabbed a pair of light blue jeans, a plain red t-shirt, and a grey sweatshirt. I pulled them on and then hunted down a pair of socks. While I was bending under my bed to look for my shoes, the door opened.

"Max?" Of course. It had to be Fang. He always caught me at the worst times. I pulled my head out from under the bed. He had a faint smile on his face, like he had been silently laughing at me. That would be so like Fang. He was always making me feel embarrassed or weird. His hair was falling into his eyes, just like his sister's had been when I talked to her in the closet. He was wearing a black jacket, a black t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. He always wore that. Well, his jeans usually had dirt on them and holes in them. These were clean. That was a big change.

"Yeah? What's up?" I asked, brushing my hair out of my eyes. Fang just stood there, still smiling faintly, still silently laughing to himself. I could practically hear him thinking about how ridiculous I looked digging under the bed, kneeling on the floor.

"You…umm…look…nice." he said stupidly.

"Fang, I haven't brushed my teeth or my hair. I look terrible." What the heck was he talking about? What was this? A new way to torment me? Pretending to not joke about how awful I look, when in your mind you're laughing your head off? Fang had been acting…weird and not like himself for a while now. It was really starting to scare me. What was going on with him?

"Oh…right. Well, uh…Iggy's finished with breakfast and then your mom is going to drive us to school. She said, that she's going to take the little kids to school, so she can get everything worked out, and she's going to let us walk the rest of the way." he said. He turned to leave and got as far as the door before he stopped. "Oh, by the way, if you're looking for your shoes, they're behind your door." Then, he opened the door, and walked out. I grabbed my shoes and jetted down the stairs.

I walked into the dining room and I took a look at my flock. They sure did look a whole lot different then they normally do. Iggy was wearing a blue and white striped polo shirt, jeans, a brown jacket, and tennis shoes. Angel had put a headband on her head full of curly blonde hair. She was wearing a purple t-shirt with a daisy on the front, a jean skirt, tennis shoes, and was holding a light blue jacket. Gazzy was wearing a camouflage long sleeved shirt, jeans, and hiking boots. The kid just loved that stuff. Nudge, who was stuffing her face with pancakes, was wearing an outfit that matched Ella's; a grey and pink striped long sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans with white paint splattered on them, and tennis shoes. Last, but not least, Elisabeth was wearing jeans, a green t-shirt with a white heart on it, a white jacket, and another pair of tennis shoes. She also had her hair pulled back, with her bangs falling into her eyes.

I never got time to eat breakfast. My mom ran downstairs and said we needed to get going cause we were going to be late. My stomach growled, but I had dealt with hunger before, so I didn't complain. We hopped into my mom's white minivan, and were on our way to the first day of school. Again, I found myself thinking why I had agreed to it. Then I looked at the flock sitting around me, excited, and my question was answered. I did it for them. So, they could have a normal life and not have to worry or run or eat desert rat. Everyone was talking. Well, the little kids anyways. I don't know about Fang, Elisabeth, and Iggy, but I was freaking nervous. What if this was worse than the disaster that happened in Virginia? _Don't think about that Max._ I told myself. _It'll be ok._

My mom pulled into the parking lot of Livingston Elementary and me, Fang, Iggy, Elisabeth, Nudge, and Ella hopped out, waving to my mom, Angel, and the Gasman. We started our four block walk to school. We saw a lot of kids doing the same thing we were, except for a couple of really big differences. They were chatting on cell phones, driving cars, and walking with their friends. So this is what normal teenagers do, huh?

We walked up the stone steps of Livingston Jr. Sr. High School. _Here we go._ I thought. Fang held open the door and we nervously walked in. We stayed close together as we looked for the office.

"What's it look like?" Iggy asked quietly. He wanted to get a mental picture so he would know where everything basically was, so he wouldn't get lost.

"Big." Elisabeth replied, awestruck When she got over her feeling of amazement, she gave Iggy a general picture as we finished our walk to the office. I pulled the door open and we walked in. There was an old lady sitting at a desk, typing on an ancient looking computer. I walked up to her desk and waited until she looked at me.

"Yes?" she said. "May I help you?" she asked giving me a questioning look. Was this how they treated new students? I didn't know, but I was about to find out.

"Umm…I think so." I replied, pretending to be a sweet little girl. If only she knew. "My brothers, sisters, and I are new here. My mom should have called. Her name is Valencia Martinez. She told me she called." I was laying it on thick. Maybe a little too thick, but the lady just smiled. She was eating it up.

"Valencia Martinez?" she asked. I nodded. "Ah, yes. You would be Max Martinez, Ella Martinez, Nicholas Mullins, Elisabeth Mullins, Alexandria Lake, and Jeff Smith?" she asked me I nodded again, and she pulled out a manila envelope. She handed each of us a paper, then wrote each of us a note.

"These are your class schedules. Just like your mom requested, Elisabeth and Jeff have all of their classes together. She has informed me of the circumstances and I assure you that if he needs anything, he will get it." she smiled and continued. "The notes are for your teachers. Just show all of them the notes, and you'll be fine. It's just so they know that you're new. If you need any help at all please come and see me. My name is Mrs. Swanson and I'd be happy to offer any assistance that I can." She opened the door and ushered us into the hall. I decided that she wasn't that bad, and reminded myself to see her if we needed any school help.

"Okay, looks like me, Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth are headed to English class and Nudge and Ella are going to art class." I said looking at the schedules. I had a full day. First period English, second period Biology, third period gym, and fourth period history. I looked at the rest of their schedules. "Okay, I have first and second period with Fang, and first and fourth period with Iggy and Elisabeth."

Elisabeth read Iggy their schedule and his jaw dropped. "Band class?" he asked, flabbergasted. "How did we get band class? I can't play any instruments can you?" Elisabeth shook her head. "I guess we're just going to have to find someway to fake it." he sighed, defeated. "Maybe Mrs. Swanson can get us out of it tomorrow or something."

"Well," I said looking at a clock in the hall. "We better get going. Nudge, Ella, you guys are in a different building it looks like. Stay together and be careful. Look out for anyone suspicious." I warned. Nudge would be okay, but it was Ella I was worried about. She never had to deal with this stuff before. The most she had to worry about was bullies. If we were lucky that would be the only thing we would have to worry about.

Nudge and Ella nodded and walked towards the door. I looked at Fang, closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and led the way to first period English, and to the rest of our lives. Well, what I assumed would be the rest of our lives. I could only hope that this would be my life from now on. It seems whenever I think that, my destiny of saving the world has to interfere. Hopefully, my destiny would leave me alone this time. Hopefully, we would be safe and never have to worry about the School, whitecoats, or Flyboys again. _Just keep thinking it Max. _I told myself. _Maybe it'll happen._

**Okay, that is the end of Chapter 12. In the next chapter, Max will tell you the joys of English class. The next few chapters, they will be in school and we'll get to see Iggy and Elisabeth go through band class and Fang in creative writing. Lunch is going to be two different chapters(I think anyways, might only be one). As I keep saying, I'm working really really hard to make this the best fanfiction you've ever read. I may need help. If you want to see something in the story, click on the review button and let me know. I won't know unless you say something. Keep reading and reviewing. Like I said, there will be exciting stuff to come. Just be patient.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, in Chapter 13, we meet some new enemies and Max goes through English class. That's actually pretty much it. I'm only writing this chapter to see how Max reacts to school. In the next chapter, we'll see Iggy and Elisabeth's reactions and in the last school chapter, we'll see Fang's. Well, hope you enjoy it.**

_Well, Max. This is it._ I said as we reached the classroom. The sign posted on the door said "Ms. Lewis, 9th grade English" _Don't be nervous. If they turn out to be bad guys, you have four bird kids and your sister with you. You can take 'em. _I turned the knob slowly and prepared myself to look like a normal new student. When I opened the door, every head in the room turned to look at us. _They mustn't get many new kids. Especially this many in one class. _I thought to myself. Everyone started to whisper as we walked to the teacher's desk.

Ms. Lewis, I assumed that this person was her, looked at me as I got the note out of my pocket. She wasn't like any of the teacher's at that school we were in back in Virginia. She looked like she was in her thirties. She had golden blonde hair that was put in a bun. She had grey eyes, and looked very…kind? She smiled and winked at me and then stood up and faced the class. _I think I might have found another nice teacher. _I thought. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all._

"Ahem, class? If I could have your attention for just a moment. We have four new students today." She motioned for us to stand in front of her, which we did. "This is Max Martinez, Nicholas Mullins, Elisabeth Mullins, and Jeff Smith." She pointed to each one of us as she said our names. "Now I am sure you will make them all feel welcome." she turned to us and whispered, "We're reading _The Outsiders_ by S.E. Hinton in class. It's a really good book. I'm sure you'll like it. Now let me just find you some seats." She looked around the room for some empty seats. "Well, there are two seats over by Vanessa Winslow." she said pointing to a girl in the middle row. Vanessa was wearing a tight looking mini skirt and an even tighter looking shirt. She wore a lot of make up and had curly, shoulder length, black hair. She looked at us and rolled her eyes, as if she thought Ms. Lewis was punishing her by telling one of the "new kids" to sit there in front of her. "Jeff, Elisabeth you can sit there." Elisabeth and Iggy walked over to their seats and sat down. They kept their eyes on Fang and me. "There's another seat over by Heather Mason. Max, how about you take that one? Now, Nick. Let's see. Why not the one over there by the window?" Fang and I walked to our seats and sat down, while Ms. Lewis went up to the board and wrote down the assignment.

The girl in front of me, Heather I think, had long straight blonde hair. She had on what looked to me like designer clothes. She was also texting. With my raptor vision, I could read the message. _OMG. Freaky new grl is sitting bhind me. HELP! She looks like shes nvr been shopping b4. Do u see what shes wearing? LOL. _

Seconds later, there was a reply. _Haha lol. Well, look who I'm stuck with. Puhlease. Who wears sneakers except in gym anymore? The guy's kinda cute tho. Think I should ask him out? _

Heather put her cell phone in her purse and looked over at her friend, Vanessa I think, who was wearing an evil smile. Heather nodded and mouthed "Lunch". Vanessa nodded back and pretended to pay attention to what Ms. Lewis was saying, but I saw her take out her phone again. It seemed like that was all she ever did.

I knew I wasn't going to like these girls at all. They kept texting the whole entire class period. I looked across the room at Fang, who just shook his head. He couldn't believe where I got stuck either. _Ms. Lewis may be a nice teacher, but she needs to get better at spotting people who are likely to be mortal enemies. _I thought to myself, trying to concentrate.

I then looked over at Elisabeth and Iggy. Elisabeth was copying down the notes off of the board and occasionally talking to Iggy, who nodded. Ms. Lewis must have known that Elisabeth was just helping Iggy, because she didn't say anything.

After a while, Ms. Lewis erased the notes and cleared her throat. Everyone looked at her. "I think it is time for an assignment. Now, I want you all to write a short paragraph comparing your life to Ponyboy's in _The Outsiders. _I want details and complete sentences. Now, since our new students have not read the book yet, they can write a short paragraph on their life in general." She smiled at me and then looked at the clock. "You have half an hour. I want these turned in on your way out of the door." She sat back down and let us begin writing our papers.

_Oh great. My life in general. I can't write a paragraph on my life. Not a believable one anyway. _I said to myself. _Well, I guess I'm just going to have to come up with something . Let me think… _I said. I started writing. I was good at making up stories in a hurry and this was probably one of my best. When I had gotten finished, it was five minutes before class was over. I looked over my work.

_My family is my life. It's really big and really crazy, but it's the greatest. I have four sisters, three brothers, a mom, and a dog. My sisters are Elisabeth, who is my age, Ella, who is my twelve-year-old blood sister, Alex, who's eleven, and Angie, who's six. They always seem to be coming up with something fun. My brothers are Nick, who's my age and Elisabeth's twin, Jeff, who is also my age, and Greg; he's eight and Angie's older brother. They are always getting into some kind of trouble. Then there is my mom, Valencia Martinez. She's a vet and a great cook. Chocolate chip cookies are her specialty. Total is Angie's dog. He's always fun and he loves to eat. Then there's me. I'm the oldest and I try to look out for everyone. I barely have anytime for myself, but when I do, I'm usually taking a nice, long, hot bath. You'll never catch me wearing make up or expensive clothes. I'm a tomboy and I like it that way. That's really all there is to my life. Like I said, it may seem a little weird or strange, but that's just the way I like it. _It sounded good, so I put my name on it just as the bell rang.

I gathered up all of my stuff and handed my paper to Ms. Lewis. She smiled at me and said "I look forward to reading your paper Max. Your sibling's too. You all seem like a really nice close knit family. Much like the one I had growing up. Come to think of it, you remind me of a younger me. I was a tomboy myself. I loved playing with the boys. Much more fun." She laughed and, smiling, I left.

_She is a really nice person. A little flustered sometimes, but still really nice. She does need to move me, Iggy, and Elisabeth though. Heather and Vanessa are horrible manipulative…Well, I can't think of a good enough word right now. Cows? Well that'll have to do for now. _I thought.

Fang was waiting for me outside the door. He told me Elisabeth and Iggy had already left. "So, what do you think about Ms. Lewis?" I asked Fang. He looked at me, confused.

"What do you mean? Do I think she's, like, a whitecoat or something? What?" he asked. Just like Fang to think that I meant that. Well, usually that was what I meant, so I guess he assumed I meant it this time too.

"No, I meant do you like her? Does she seem nice? Is she a good teacher? That's what I mean. I know she isn't a bad guy. I can tell that much." I said as we turned a corner, dodging a kid that looked like he was running to the nearest bathroom.

"She's okay, I guess. I'll like her as long as she's not a whitecoat anyways. Why? What do you think about her? Do you like her?" he asked. There was something in his tone that made me get a little mad at him, but I just shrugged off the feeling.

"Yeah I like her. She seems nice." I said. "Here's our next class, I think." I said, changing the subject. "Yep. Mr. Foster, Biology. This is the place. Wonder if he's okay." I said. There was only one way to find out. I was going to have to open the door and walk in. Thank goodness Fang was with me, otherwise I would probably have considered running for it.

**Well, that's it. This is one of my shorter chapters. Again, it's kind of a filler. Not very exciting, but you get to meet two very important characters. Heather Mason and Vanessa Winslow will be playing some big roles in the shaping of the story. Vanessa is actually going to play a big part in Iggy and Elisabeth getting together(although she won't realize). Heather's going to play a big part too, but that's not until much later. In the next chapter, we're back to Iggy and Elisabeth and we'll be meeting another new friend. I'll update soon. Just keep reading and reviewing.**


	14. Chapter 14

**In Chapter 14, as I have already said, Iggy and Elisabeth go to band class and meet a new friend. This chapter is significant because we get to see some more interaction between Iggy and Elisabeth. Well, let's get on with the chapter.**

It was third period already. _Where did the time go? _Elisabeth wondered. She was walking with Iggy down to the band room. She was happy she got to spend so much time with him. He hadn't been talking that much and she just figured he was just nervous about school. She was too. She was probably the most nervous of all of them. She'd almost never been around nice people, but it seemed that this school was full of them. She had seen those two girls from the playground again in their last period. Chris and Caressa were actually very nice and helped her and Iggy with finding everything. Caressa was really nice though. Chris just was so much like Max. She seemed somewhat…scary at times. The only mean person she had run into so far was Vanessa Winslow, but Vanessa hadn't bothered her that much. She did keep staring at Iggy for some unknown reason, but, of course, he hadn't noticed.

"So," Iggy said when they reached the band room door. "Do you know what we're going to do? I mean, I seriously can't play an instrument. I don't think I can even fake it." He was smiling that wonderful, bright, happy smile of his. If only he'd keep smiling at her like that.

"Well, neither can I, but if I have to, I can look up the method for playing something I suppose." she said. She sighed and Iggy sharply drew a breath. She made him feel so stupid sometimes. Like right now, she'd be okay if she could look up the method of playing an instrument in that mind of hers that was chock full of knowledge. He'd just look like an idiot. He didn't know what he was going to do, just that he'd have to make up something quick. _Just don't look stupid in front of her. _He told himself. _Whatever you do, don't look stupid in front of her._

"It'll be fine Iggy, trust me. If you can't play anything, they'll just think there was a mistake with the schedule and we'll be out of band class, okay." she said with her sweet, reassuring voice. _That voice of hers, man that voice of hers_. It was like the voice of an angel singing a song just for him.

"Okay." he said. "Well, here we go, I guess." He drew in a deep breath, pretending to be dramatic. Elisabeth giggled and he thought, _She even giggles beautifully. No, no, Iggy. Just open the freaking door and stop thinking about that._ He turned the knob, and walked into the room, Elisabeth behind him, clutching his arm. He wished she wouldn't let go, even though she eventually would. She whispered details about the room in his ear, so he could have yet another mental picture.

The room was big and smelled like…polish? There were instruments everywhere, of course. It was a band room after all. Elisabeth lead him to what he assumed was the front of the room. He knew that there were kids looking at him. He could sense that stuff. He just wished they'd look at something else. It was silent and he had a suspicious, but ridiculous, feeling that they could see his wings. However, he knew that if they had, it wouldn't be this quiet. Quite the opposite. They'd probably be snapping pictures and calling people on their cell phones.

"Well, class it looks like we have some new students." _That has to be the teacher._ Iggy thought. He really wished Elisabeth would say something to him. "This is Elisabeth Mullins and Jeff Smith. Miss Mullins, what instrument do you play?" he asked. Iggy could feel Elisabeth getting more and more nervous. He hoped she'd overcome her shyness and say something, because he had no clue what he was going to do.

She took a deep breath and said, "I play the flute." _Uh oh. Why'd I just lie like that? What am I going to do? What's Iggy going to do? _She mentally cursed herself. Another one of those dumb things she did when she panicked. She had already made a fool of herself when they walked in here by clutching Iggy's arm. Now she had gone and told a big fat lie that was just going to embarrass him. This was just great!

"And what do you play Mr. Smith?" he asked. _Oh, man! What the heck am I going to do? _"I play…the drums." he said, panicking. It had been the only thing he could think of that seemed remotely easy. This was totally not going to work. He could see it now. Everyone, including Elisabeth, was going to laugh at him. This was totally not his day.

"Well, if you don't mind, I would like you both to play something together." he said getting out a flute for Elisabeth and handing it to her. "It's just so I can see how well you can play." Well, this was it. Iggy was doomed. Elisabeth pointed him in the direction of the drums. He was handed a pair of drumsticks. The moment they were in his hands, something felt right to him. He couldn't describe it. It was the same feeling he got when he had learned how to cook. He didn't know how he knew, but at that moment, he knew it would turn out okay.

He didn't know what he was playing, but it sounded good. It sounded even better when Elisabeth joined in. Iggy had a new talent. Something he didn't have to use his eyes for, something he could just feel, and something he could share with Elisabeth. The class burst into applause and some even joined in.

When they stopped, the teacher said, "Bravo. That was very very good. I see that we have some new talent in this band. Well, let's see, what was I going to do? Oh, yes. Colten, could you take them into the back room and tell them how we do things in the band and anything else that you can think of."

"Yes, Mr. Johnston." said a boy with red hair. He was tall and looked sort of like Ron Weasley from Harry Potter. He walked to the back of the room and opened the door. Elisabeth, leading Iggy, followed him.

They stepped into the dimly lit, small room and Colten closed the door. "Hi." he said, smiling. "My name's Colten Henderson and I play sax. I've been living in this town since second grade so, I was pretty much the last new kid in our grade. Let's see, what do you need to know? After this block, we have lunch, and usually we have after-school band practice. No practice today though. Mr. Johnston usually makes announcements to let us know, so you should be okay there. So, what about you guys?" he asked. Iggy, didn't know what to make of him just yet, but he seemed okay. Elisabeth thought so too, apparently, because she started to speak, something she only did if she liked someone and thought that she could trust that person.

"I'm Elisabeth Mullins, and this is my adopted brother, Jeff Smith. I was adopted too, along with most of our siblings." she replied nervously. "Our mom's Valencia Martinez, she's a vet. We have six other siblings; there's mom's two daughters Max and Ella, my twin brother Nick, Alex, Greg, and Angie. We moved here from another part in Arizona about a week ago. I guess, that's it. Right Jeff?" she asked turning to Iggy. She was an excellent, believable storyteller. Colten fell for that hook-line-and sinker.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Well, except for Angie's dog Total and the fact that I'm blind. Other than that, you got the whole story, sis." Iggy said. _Why'd I just call her sis? That was so after-school special. Besides, I like…okay I love her. Calling her sis is just, like, weird. _He shook his head and said he had a headache, so they wouldn't think he'd gone completely mental.

Colten raised his eyebrows, but continued speaking. "So, what class do you have next." he asked them, trying to make some conversation.

"History, I think." Iggy said. _Colten seems okay, but he probably thinks I'm a nut case. Sis? Seriously, how's she ever going to take me seriously when I say things like that? What's she thinking? I'm such a loser._

_He called me sis. _She thought. _What does that mean? Does he like me? Well, I already figured he didn't. But, then what does he think of me? _Her heart sank as she thought, _Maybe he's only talking to me, because he feels like he needs too. Maybe he thinks if no one talks to me, I'll run away and then Max won't be able to save the world. Maybe…_

"…yeah, history's pretty easy even though Mrs. Martin makes it kind of boring." Colten said to Iggy. They had been talking to each other all this time and Elisabeth hadn't even noticed. Suddenly, she felt really sick inside.

"Maybe, we should get back to class." Elisabeth said. She desperately wanted to get out of school. She knew it was a bad idea in the first place. She didn't belong here, with the flock or with regular people. She just wanted to go home and lay down. She felt like she was going to hurl her guts out, even though she knew it wasn't really possible to do.

"Uh yeah, we probably should." Iggy said, and Colten nodded. He opened the door and Colten walked out first. On Elisabeth's way out, Iggy whispered in her ear, "You okay Elisabeth? You look a little sick."

"Yeah, I'm fine Iggy. Just…starving." she whispered back, hurriedly. She couldn't take talking to him. She now knew she was just a burden to him. That was all, nothing more. She walked quickly to her seat, and didn't turn around the whole class period. When it was time for lunch, she walked with Iggy and Colten, but kept her eyes on the floor. She was afraid that if she looked up she would either start crying, or throw up everywhere. Either way, she thought it would be best if she didn't look up or speak at all.

_What is up with her? _He thought to himself, as they waited in line. _Was it something I said? It was probably the "sis thing". That was a really dumb thing for me to say. I can't believe it. She probably hates me. I probably made her feel weird or embarrassed. It seems that's all I do to her. Make her feel embarrassed or weird. I'd give anything for her to just talk to me, but she won't. She might never speak to me again, because I'm too much of an idiot. _He sat down next to Colten and started eating his lunch, not making a sound.

**All right, that's the end of Chapter 14. In our next chapter, we'll get to see some more lunchtime drama. This is the chapter where things start to get interesting. It's going to be really exciting, or at least it shouldn't be boring. Well, keep reading and reviewing. An update will come soon. I promise. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 is where all of that exciting stuff I promised you starts. In this chapter, we get to see Heather and Vanessa again, and meet their other friend. Also, we get to see Chris and Caressa again. Well, you're probably wanting me to get on with the chapter, so here it is.**

"Max! Fang! Over here!" someone shouted from a table on the other side of the large cafeteria. It was a red headed someone that I had just met. His name was Colten Henderson and he was sitting at a table with two other people I knew; Elisabeth and Iggy. He had told me that he was in band class, so I guess he had met them there.

"Well Fang, it looks like someone wants us to sit with them." I said, pointing at Colten. Fang laughed, and I knew what he was thinking. He was thinking how weird this all looked. There we were at school, and we had friends that saved us seats and shouted for us halfway across the cafeteria. It was just too funny.

Chris and Caressa looked at us with smiles on their faces. "We were going to introduce you to our friend Colten, but it looks like you've already met." Caressa said laughing, while her twin rolled her eyes.

"Colten is such a goober. If it wasn't for Caressa, I wouldn't even talk to him. The weirdo called me Chrissy on his first day here in second grade. I broke his jaw and now everyone knows what happens to you if you call me anything other than Chris." Chris said, shaking her head. "He's a basket case." she finished simply.

I agreed with Chris. He did seem a little off. He reminded me of Ron Weasley, not only because of his looks, but because of the way he acted. He was clumsy, funny, and nice, even though he usually had no clue what he was doing. He seemed okay, though, so I thought nothing of it. It seemed, to me, that Caressa liked him a lot though. She kept smiling while Chris was telling stories about things he had done when they were little.

"…then there was the one time in the fourth grade at our birthday party when he left the gate open at our uncle's barn and all of the chickens got loose and spooked the horses." she said sighing. "The kid is a walking disaster sometimes." Caressa laughed again and grabbed her tray. She started telling me what was probably leftovers from last week's lunch and what I shouldn't eat while Chris continued to tell Fang stories of all the dumb things Colten did.

I figured that Caressa was getting tired of all the things her sister was saying about Colten because then she said, "Chris, you really shouldn't say that stuff about Colten. Sure he can be a klutz, but he has done some really good things too. Like the time we got stuck in that tree, or the time Ginger ran away and he made a search party and when he didn't find her he bought you a new puppy with his birthday money. You love Coal, that's why you named him after Colten." Chris mumbled something and then stopped talking until we got to the table.

Iggy raised his head, but didn't say anything like he normally would and Elisabeth moved over to make room. They looked depressed and sort of sick. Colten quietly informed me that they had been like that since after class. Something was definitely wrong, but I didn't have much time to think about it, because Heather, Vanessa, and another girl were coming towards our table. The other girl, who I assumed was another one of their friends, had long light brown hair and was wearing a hot pink tank top with a black jacket, jeans, and a pair of what looked like brown snow boots.

"Hi." said Vanessa in a bored sounding voice as she reached our table. "I'm Vanessa Winslow and this is my best friend Heather Mason." Heather waved with a fake sweet smile on her face. The other girl looked at Vanessa, who rolled her eyes and then said, "Oh, and this is Kylie Peterson." she said and then gave Kylie a very mean look, but Kylie didn't notice.

"Everyone knows who you are Vanessa." Chris said, annoyed. "So, what do you want? We're trying to eat and it's kind of hard with you and your band of merry idiots over here, so hurry up." Chris seemed to hate them more than I did. I didn't actually think that was possible, but it seemed it was.

"Why Chris, I'm surprised." Vanessa said in a pretend disappointed voice. "Here I am trying to be friendly to the new students, and you accuse me of wanting something. I feel hurt. I just wanted to be friends." she said. This girl was starting to get on my nerves.

"We're not accusing you of anything, Vanessa." Caressa said. "When you accuse someone, you don't have any proof of anything. But we have proof. You've never come over to us before now, and we're supposed to believe that you want to be our friends. That's a laugh. Now tell us what you really came over here for." Whoa. If looks could kill, Caressa would have been dead and buried.

Vanessa walked over to Iggy and Fang and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "We just wanted to know if you two wanted to eat lunch with us." So that's what she wanted. Fang and Iggy. She and her little friend Heather had crushes on them. I was not going to let them get away with this, but I knew I wouldn't have to worry. Fang and Iggy would nicely tell them no and then they'd get them to leave.

"Sure." Fang said. My jaw dropped. What!? He wasn't supposed to say yes. Vanessa had a look of absolute triumph on her face. "We'll eat with you, if all of our friends can; Elisabeth, Colten, Chris, Caressa, and Max." Thank goodness. For a second I thought Fang had gone mental. Vanessa had a frightened look on her face as if Fang had just told her to swim in an alligator infested river.

"Well, we would," Heather said while Vanessa regained her composure, "But, we only have two seats left." She apparently thought that this would solve everything, but I knew better. They had lost and we had won. It was over. End of story. They, however, did not seem to get that.

"Well, that's too bad then, because we want to sit with them. Sorry." Fang said. "If there was more room, we'd have been happy to come." He turned back to his lunch and started to eat. Iggy hadn't said anything or moved at all. He seemed sick, he really did. It's not like to him to just not talk, especially not if something this funny was happening.

"Okay then. Let us know if you change your mind." she said flouncing off to her table. Heather turned to follow her and Kylie said, "What? We're leaving now?" and then followed Heather, thoroughly confused.

"Whoa, Nick." Chris said amazed. "No guy has ever done that to Vanessa or Heather before. You guys, we have just witnessed a historic event." This made everyone bust out laughing. Well, except Iggy and Elisabeth that is. They smiled, but were still a couple of storm clouds. What was with them?

Caressa and Colten seemed to notice because at that moment, Caressa started whispering to Elisabeth and Colten did the same to Iggy. They must have realized something I couldn't see, because when they were finished talking to them, Elisabeth and Iggy were back to their normal selves. For the most part anyways. Something was still wrong, but I didn't think too much about it. They were probably still a little claustrophobic and were just pretending to be okay, so Colten, Chris, and Caressa wouldn't make too big of a deal about it.

The bell rang and me, Iggy, Elisabeth, Caressa, and Colten went right while Fang and Chris went off in a completely different direction. Caressa and Colten were still talking to Elisabeth and Iggy by themselves so I was left to my own thoughts.

I didn't know if I really liked this school yet. It was okay, I mean, everyplace has it's Heathers, Vanessas, and Kylies. The whole world was full of them. That was what made the Coltens, Caressas, and Chriss of the world so much nicer. But, still it was only the first day. What was tomorrow going to be like? What about the rest of the year? The rest of my life?

**Okay, in the next chapter, Fang goes through creative writing class. This is really important for later on in the story, but I'm not going to reveal any details yet. Keep reading and reviewing please. I'd really appreciate it. Updates are coming soon.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, this chapter is pretty important for later on. You'll get it later. This chapter isn't going to be very long, but the next one definitely is. It's probably going to be the longest chapter. Well, here's Chapter 16 for your reading pleasure. **

"I still cannot believe you said that stuff to Vanessa. No one ever talks to her like that. You've got to be the first one." Chris said. She was still amazed that Nick had spoken to Vanessa like that and managed to live. That girl would make Medusa run for the hills. Chris wasn't afraid of her, but still she didn't want to get into it with Vanessa because Mr. Winslow would file a lawsuit faster than you could say "bankrupt". He was like the richest guy in town. He was the only doctor. Very influential.

"Well, she was practically throwing herself at Jeff, and I knew that…he didn't want that." Fang finished a little too quickly. _Man that was a close one. I almost told Chris about my sister's crush on Iggy. She would have killed me, or worse._

"I guess she was, wasn't she." Chris said. They turned a corner and Chris said, "Well, here's our class. You'll love Miss Arnold. She's the absolute best teacher here. Also, there's no Heather, Vanessa, or Kylie to worry about." She laughed and opened the door.

The room wasn't like any classroom he had ever been in. Instead of desks, there were some small tables. Chris led him to one of the back tables, just as the teacher was walking in. She looked like she was in her late twenties. She was tall, thin, and she had long brown hair, but she dressed differently than most teachers. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt that said, "Reading is my love". She wasn't wearing any make up, and she had on a pair of glasses. For a twenty year old, she looked tired and worn out, even though she had a smile on.

Fang walked over to her desk. She looked at him strangely, as he handed her the note. She read the note and looked at him again. "Nicholas…Mullins?" she asked. He nodded and she smiled. She also looked like she was going to cry. "Umm…well, welcome to our class." she said, grabbing a tissue. "Allergies. So, do you go by Nick?" Fang nodded and she let him go back to his seat.

He wondered what that had been about.

_She just has allergies Fang. No reason to be suspicious. _

As students were filing in, Miss Arnold was looking at a picture album on her desk and smiling. When the late bell rang and the last kid sat in his seat, she stood up and wrote "Family" on the board. She underlined it and turned to the class.

"Family." she said, pointing to the board. "Everyone has a family, and all of them are different. Some of you just have a mom or a dad, some of you have both, some of you have siblings, and some of you don't. Some people include pets in their family. Whatever your family is like, I want to know about it." she said passing back a worksheet. "Now, on this worksheet is a list of possible ways you can do this project. While this is a creative writing class, I will let you do a video if you choose to. I know, it's hard to talk about your family, so you can get as creative with this as you want. You can make a family tree, write a report, or anything you want. I look forward to seeing what you've done. This project will be due by the end of the week. You have four days, let's see what you can do." She walked back over to her desk and continued looking at her photo album.

"See," Chris whispered. "She's the best. This is going to be the easiest project ever. All I have to do is get poster paper and put a picture of my mom, Caressa, and my little brother Danny. What are you going to do?" she asked him.

"I don't know yet." he said. "Probably the video." The truth was, he wasn't so sure that this was going to turn out so good. Putting the flock on camera? Oh well, he was going to have to do something, and he wasn't so good at writing sentimental stuff. He planned out his whole project. He would start by interviewing Max, then go to Elisabeth, Iggy, Nudge, Ella, Gazzy, Angel, Total, Dr. Martinez, and lastly he'd say something about himself. He planned out what he was going to say as he introduced them and everything. He was working so hard, that he didn't notice that Miss Arnold had come up behind him, or that it was almost time to go.

"You're doing a great job." she said smiling. "I've been reading over your shoulder for a little while. You have a big family. I didn't have a very large family growing up myself, but I would have loved it." She was kind of scaring Fang a little. He could tell she wasn't a bad guy, but still, there was something about her. "Well, you better get packing." She walked back up to her desk and sat back down, smiling at him.

Just then, the bell rang, and he got up and ran out of the room, leaving Chris behind.

He was running to the exit, so he could wait for Max and the others when he was stopped by Heather. This girl was starting to annoy him. What did she want with him?

"Hi Nick." she said twirling a piece of her hair. "It's me Heather. I was wondering, would you walk me home? I'd go by myself, but I have so much homework, I need someone to carry my backpack for me." she said, pouting.

"Well, I have to find my brothers and sisters. I really don't have time. Bye." he said, pushing past her. She was outraged. How dare he do that to her. Well, it was time for drastic measures. She knew his secret, and she was going to tell it to the world. Or at least, her mother was.

_That's right Nick. _She thought. _I know who you are. Soon, the whole world will. You and your siblings are going to be put back in cages where you belong. You haven't heard the last of Heather Nicole Mason. I'm going to get even with you. _

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mom's work number. It rang three times and then she picked up. "Yes, who is it?" said a calm voice.

"Hey mom, It's me Heather." she said grinning evilly. Her mom would take care of them once and for all, and she'd be rewarded for helping her. "Have I got some news for you."

"Well, what is it?" she asked. "You know I'm very busy at the moment, what with that break in." Her mother was a very important scientist, they called her "The Director", and she was referring to a break in that occurred two weeks ago. Nick and the others had busted out Elisabeth, and her mom had been worried ever since. She was looking high and low for them, and now Heather had found them. Her mom would be proud.

"I found the flock. They go to school with me. They just moved here. All of them. Even Experiment E-1." Experiment E-1, or Elisabeth, had given her mother a lot of trouble, almost as much as Max. She'd be happy that she was found.

"Really? Are you sure it's them? You know we have to be absolutely one hundred percent sure, otherwise there will be a lot of trouble for me. You might not get that expensive purse you want for Christmas if I have trouble." She had to be sure her daughter had found the flock. Everything depended on it.

"I'm positive. It's definitely them." she replied. Honestly, sometimes she thought that her mother thought that she was dumb. She sure acted like she thought she was. Couldn't she just trust that her daughter had found the flock even though she didn't?

"Good work sweetie." the Director said. "You're getting a raise in your allowance for this. I'm sending someone over there right now, we'll have them soon, and then this mess will all be over. I'll see you later. Bye." She hung up the phone.

_Hear that Nick. You and your little flock are going down. It's only a matter of time. Soon, my mom will have you all eliminated and she can get on to making this world more perfect. You shouldn't have turned me down, Nick. You shouldn't have turned me down._

**Oooh, plot twist. Nice one huh? I told you this was going to get interesting. I told you that you just had to keep reading. I'll update soon. Review please. I need some more reviews. Chapter 17 is on the way. **


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay guys, here's the chapter you've all been waiting for! YAY! I've been working on this for a while, and I'm finally finished with it. Well, I better get on with the chapter before I reveal anything. Here's Chapter 17 coming at you!**

Iggy was sitting in his room, alone. He'd made Fang go downstairs to work on his blog, because he needed to do some serious thinking. Colten had figured out that he liked Elisabeth. He said it was how he reacted after the "sis thing". He told him he had to tell her. It was better if she knew sooner, because if she liked him back, but never knew how he felt about her, then she'd think that he didn't love her.

_Colten's right. I need to tell her, but how? When? I don't know how, but I have to do it now. Before it's too late. _Iggy concluded.

He took a deep breath, got up and walked into the hallway. He reached her bedroom door and knocked on it.

She opened it, and Iggy took another deep breath. This might be harder than he thought.

"Elisabeth, do you want to go for a walk in the woods with me for awhile? It's a nice day out, and you don't seem to be doing anything." He stood, waiting for her to reply.

_She's going to say no. I know it. _

He heard her move and wondered what she was doing. He heard her door shut.

"I just had to get my coat. It's kind of cold out. Let's go." she said and he breathed a sigh of relief.

_Now all I have to do is figure out what I'm going to do. _He thought to himself as they headed down the stairs and out the door.

They ran for the woods and when they got there, Elisabeth stretched out her wings. "Oh that feels so much better." she said happily. "They've been getting kind of sore. I haven't stretched them in weeks. Not since that flying lesson with Angel on my second day."

She was feeling so much better after she got out of school. Caressa had made her feel much better, even though she had lied about her reason for being upset. She had decided to let whatever was going to happen, happen. What else could she do? No use to mope about something she couldn't control.

They walked deep into the woods, into a clearing much like the one she had talked to Fang in two weeks ago. It was beautiful, and she wished Iggy could see it.

"Oh, it's so beautiful out here. There's a cliff, and you can see a little river and everything. It looks like a painting or something." That was the best description she could give him. She wasn't good at that stuff.

"It sounds wonderful." Iggy said, messing with the zipper on his jacket. If he was going to say something, he had better do it soon. As it was, he was going to end up dying from all the stress that had built up inside of him.

_Come on Iggy. You gotta tell her. You can't go on like this forever. She needs to know how you feel, and you need to know how she feels before you explode. You said you'd know when the time came to tell her, and it's time. If you wait any longer, you'll lose her, or you'll go crazy._

"Iggy, are you okay?" Elisabeth asked. He'd been standing there playing with his jacket zipper for a long time, and he wasn't talking. What did he want to go on a walk with her for, if he wasn't going to talk to her?

_Maybe it's for pity. No, I mustn't think like that. Not about Iggy. He's too kind and sweet to do that to me. I'm terrible to think those things about him. He probably just has something on his mind._

"No, I'm not okay. I have a headache, a stomachache, I can't breathe, and I haven't had a good night sleep in days. Well, more like weeks." Iggy spit out. This was a good start, even though he had absolutely no idea what he was going to say next. He was just making it up as he went along. Just trying to put everything into words, which was pretty hard.

"Are you sick or something? Do you need to lie down? Are you going to throw up?" He was really worrying her now. She started shaking, because she was worried about him so much. She really had a problem with people getting "sick" everywhere. She really hoped Iggy would, at least, try not hurl all over her.

"Yes, but not that kind of sick."

This was really hard to explain. Why wouldn't the words just come to him? Why was this so difficult? Why did she have to wash her hair in coconut shampoo? It was making him feel a little lightheaded and woozy.

"I…don't know…I can't begin to…why is this so…I can't stand…" He grabbed her and pulled her close. It was all he could think of. He could feel her squirm, because she didn't know what was going on. She was scared. He had to show her she didn't have to be afraid of him, not at all. He put his hand in her long, soft hair, and drew her even closer. She relaxed against him. He pressed his lips on hers in a warm embrace. It was like a fire. She was so warm and he didn't even notice he had been cold until he brought her closer. He was shivering, and he could feel everything. Everything became so clear. He could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Feel her wings brush his face. That made him shiver more. He never felt so alive. This was what love felt like. This was what the world felt like. This was so right. It was meant to be. He felt more connected with her than anyone in his life. Her breathing became slower and he knew he had to let go. She was starting to get lightheaded because they had been kissing so long. He pulled his lips off of hers, but he wouldn't let go.

"I should've told you a long time ago." he said breathing heavily. "I just couldn't find the words."

She closed her eyes.

_Why'd he kiss me? Was that real or what? Does he love me? Could it be? Why do I feel so confused? I thought that when and if I kissed him, everything would make sense and it would be clear, but I'm more confused than ever and everything's fuzzy. I can't do this. Why'd he kiss me?_

"Elisabeth?"

She jerked away from him. He heard her release a shuddering sob.

His happiness crashed and burned. His heart shattered. He was left with nothing. He was alone even though she was still with him. He felt dirty and unworthy to stand next to someone so pure. He shouldn't have kissed her. He shouldn't have listened to Colten. He shouldn't have loved her.

"Iggy." she said in barely a whisper, still shaking. "Please go. Just leave me alone."

She couldn't take him being there. It was just too much to bear. She couldn't look at him. She turned away as he took off. She felt a little breeze and he was gone.

He flew for the house, and she sank down on the ground and cried. She cried away the pain. She couldn't stand, she was too afraid she'd fall down. His beautiful eyes haunted her. They wouldn't leave her head. It was like they were tattooed on her brain. They were so hurt and upset. Would his eyes look like that if he didn't love her? Did that mean that the kiss meant something?

_Oh my god. Iggy loves me. He loves me and I chased him away. I've got to go talk to him. I have to. _

She stood up, wiped the tears out of her eyes, and took off. She flew faster than she had in her whole life. She didn't care if anyone saw her. She just wanted to get to Iggy. That was all that mattered to her. She had to apologize. She had to tell him how much he meant to her. How much she loved him.

She reached the house and flew to her bedroom window. It was a good thing she had left her window open. She landed inside and was very thankful that Max wasn't in the room. That would've complicated things a little. She tucked in her wings and ran to the other side of the bedroom and threw the door open. She turned left and stopped when she came to a door. She knocked on Iggy's bedroom door and hoped that she was right and that this was where he had flown to.

"Oh Iggy. Please open up. I'm sorry. I have to talk to you. Please forgive me." She had started sobbing again.

She didn't expect him to open the door, but he did. She had never seen so much hurt in those eyes of his. They were always filled with happiness and laughter. What had she done? She'd taken his soul.

"What do you want?" he asked angrily. Hadn't she done enough to him? She'd already taken his heart and mangled it. What more was she going to do? What more could she do?

He closed the door, so the others wouldn't hear the fight. He had a lot of things to say to her, but before he could say a word, she threw herself at him. She squeezed him tightly and shoved her lips onto his, kissing him forcefully. She had taken him by surprise, but he brought his hands around to her, placing one on her waist and the other one in her hair. After she was convinced he wasn't going anywhere, she relaxed her grip and kissed him more gently. She pulled her lips from his for just a second to whisper, "I'm sorry. I love you.", before she kissed him again.

His heart swelled with happiness and he kissed her back. He was so happy that for a while, he thought the knocking on his bedroom door was his heart beating in his chest.

When he realized someone was at the door, he sadly pulled away from her and somehow managed to say, "Who is it?" Elisabeth let go of him and sat down on the edge of his bed, smiling at him, tears of happiness glistening in her brown eyes.

"It's me, Max. Is Elisabeth in there with you? We can't find her anywhere." Max said. It was almost as if she knew she had just ruined the happiest moment of his life.

"Yeah Max. I'm in here." Elisabeth said. "We were just going over some homework that Iggy didn't understand."

She was a very convincing liar. Iggy felt his love for her grow with every word she spoke. He knew that she understood that if Max found out, they would be dead faster than you could say, "sexist pig". He wished they didn't have to pretend nothing was going on, but he knew they had too. No matter how unfair it was. This was the only part that was going to suck about being with her; he couldn't be alone with her. Never. Well, almost never. He was sure they'd have some more quiet, special moments like this where they could be together, kissing or just talking. He'd hold her and tell her how much he loved her and she'd tell him she loved him too.

"Okay. Dinner in five. We're having ham, if Total hasn't eaten it all."

They heard Max go back down the stairs, and Elisabeth let out a sigh of relief.

_I thought she'd never go away. _She thought. _Max will murder me if she finds out. Maybe even worse. _

She grabbed her jacket off of the floor and wrapped her arms around Iggy.

"See you downstairs." she said, looking into his eyes and then kissing him good bye.

She left him in a state of confusion and sheer bliss.

_She loves me. She really loves me. How did I get so lucky? She's so wonderful. Now I really won't be able to get to sleep. Not with her just one room away. Oh well. I can do without sleep. I have before. I don't care, just as long as I have her. _

He ran all the way downstairs and slid in the seat next to Elisabeth. He concentrated the whole evening on not thinking about what had just happened, what he had shared with her. If Angel knew, he'd never hear the end of it. She'd be dancing around singing "I told you so Iggy" until the cows came home. She'd get everyone suspicious, and then he'd never be alone with her again. He knew Elisabeth was thinking the same thing, because all through dinner, she didn't say two words to anyone, not even him. This was just their little secret, and it was going to stay like that for a long time. A very long and happy time.

**See, I told you. This is my favorite chapter ever. It's so beautiful and romantic and just awesome. It was so fun to write and I hope you liked reading it. Updates will came ASAP. Keep reading and reviewing. Thanks!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Time for another chapter! This one is really just something that is sort of going to help Iggy and Elisabeth's relationship. Well, let me just get on with it then.**

Fang rolled over and opened his bleary eyes, facing the clock. It was two in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and looked over at Iggy's bed. He wasn't surprised to find that he was still awake. He'd been like that for a while. He hadn't slept in days. That, and the fact that he hadn't said a word at dinner and had disappeared for over an hour, made Fang worried about him. He decided to check on him.

"Hey, Ig? You okay dude? You've been kind of out of it lately. You haven't slept in weeks and you've just been quiet. What's up?"

Iggy sighed and sat up. "Can you keep a secret Fang?" Iggy seemed to be smiling.

"Uh…depends. What's the secret?" Iggy had never really talked to Fang like this. Whatever the secret was, it must have been huge.

"You have to swear you won't tell anyone, especially not Max. You also have to promise you won't freak."

_He wants me to keep it from Max. I can't do that. I've never kept secrets from her. But this is Iggy's secret. I can't tell Max. I can't and I won't. Not unless it's really bad._

"Uh…okay. I promise I won't tell and I won't freak out. Now, what is it?"

Iggy sighed again. "Okay, now remember your promise. It's like this; I'm in love…with your sister. I'm in love with Elisabeth." He waited for Fang to start yelling, but he didn't. He just sat there.

_Wow. He loves her back. Didn't see that one coming. Is Iggy asking my permission to tell her or something? One way to find out._

"Well, does she know? Have you told her? Are you telling me this, so I can tell you what to say to her?"

"Actually, she already knows. You see, I kind of…" Iggy turned such a deep shade of red, that Fang could see his flushed face in the dark.

"You what?" Fang asked, and then it hit him. "Seriously? You really kissed her? When? Where?"

"Wow, Fang. Slow down. One question at a time. I'll tell you the whole story. Just say that you'll calm down."

"Okay, I'll calm down. Now, tell me everything." His guy instincts were making him curious. He wanted to know exactly what happened.

"Well, the whole thing really started the night she got here. I was talking to her and telling her about us and stuff, and I just…I felt something. She listened to me and understood me and…well I don't know."

"We got to school and I was so freaking happy that I got to spend so much time with her. Then we met Colten, and he realized what was going on. He told me I should tell her, so I asked her to take a walk with me…yesterday, I guess. I was going to tell her, but I couldn't find the words. I just kind of lost it, I grabbed her, and I just kissed her. It was awesome."

"Then, I told her I should've told her how I felt sooner and she jerked away from me. She told me to just go away and leave her alone, so I took off for the house and flew to my room."

_Okay. _Fang thought. _Elisabeth loves Iggy, so why'd she do that? Looks like there's more to this story._

"So, then what happened?" Fang asked and Iggy shook his head.

"Well, aren't we impatient? Okay, I'll tell you. I was feeling really crappy. I was thinking that I was such an idiot for thinking that I had the slightest chance with her. I was thinking about running away, when she comes and tries to knock my door down. She was crying and begging me to let her in, so I did. I was getting ready to yell at her and then, she just ran at me. She grabbed me and kissed me really hard. She took me by surprise. I was totally not expecting that, but I kissed her back. She told me she loved me and we kissed again. Then, Max knocked on the door, asking me if I'd seen Elisabeth. Elisabeth told her she was helping me with homework, so then Max went back downstairs. Elisabeth grabbed her stuff, kissed me again, and told me she'd see me at dinner. That's really all that happened."

Fang had been smirking for a while. He had decided it was time to tell Iggy what he knew. "Do you want to know a secret Iggy? I knew she liked you the whole time."

"Really? You did? How did you know? Did she tell you? Why didn't you say something?"

Fang laughed. "Now who's being impatient? Her first day here, I saw her sneaking out, so I followed her. I overheard her talking to herself about you, and when I was about to leave, I stepped on a twig, and she found me. She made me swear not to tell you or anyone else."

"Okay, I can understand that. So, do you have a problem with this?"

"Well, as long as you don't start kissing in front of me, then I'm cool with it. Max on the other hand…"

"I know, I know, she'll totally kill me. I'll be dead and buried." Iggy said. He wished it wasn't that way though. He wished he could just come out with it. He felt better when he told Fang, but if everyone knew, he'd feel so much better.

"Yeah, but not just you. She'll kill me and Elisabeth too. My murder will be the most brutal, because I'm the one who knew, and didn't tell her, when I'm supposed to tell her everything. You guys have to be careful." Fang said, seriously. This was no joking matter.

"I know, so what are we going to do? I can't take not being with her. Dinner was just torture. I was so close to her, but I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even talk to her without being overheard."

"Well, I don't know what you'll do, but if I get an idea, I'll let you know."

"Thanks Fang. I'm glad you're cool with this. If you weren't, it would be a lot more difficult. Oh, you can't think about this around Angel. She would have a field day. She'd be saying, "I told you so" until she was blue in the face. She's actually the one who got me thinking about this."

"Okay, I'll try." Fang looked back over at the clock. It was almost four. They'd been talking for almost two hours, and Fang needed some sleep.

"Ig, we need to get some sleep. We have to go to school tomorrow, unfortunately. How are we going to stay awake and concentrate if we stay up all night?" Iggy nodded, laid back down, wrapped himself in his covers, and rolled over.

Fang could tell he wasn't really asleep. He was straining his ears for the sound of Elisabeth's breathing on the other side of the wall. Fang, although he'd never tell Iggy, had done the same thing with Max before.

It was going to be a very long day. Fang knew he was going to have a tough time ahead of him, trying to keep Max in the dark about Iggy and Elisabeth.

Now Fang was the one who couldn't get to sleep. He was too busy thinking about how he was going to help Iggy and Elisabeth.

Iggy, on the other hand, had fallen asleep. His soft snores filled the room. Poor Iggy was worn out. He had had no sleep for two straight weeks. The strain was too much and he was too tired.

Fang envied him. Now that everything was out in the open, Iggy could get to sleep again. Fang was going to be up all night, every night, until he could think of something to do for his sister and 'Sleeping Beauty' who was in the bed on the other side of the room.

Fang sat up for another hour before he got his brilliant idea.

_Let's hope this works._

He got up, turned the alarm clock off before it started beeping, and got dressed. He then went downstairs and sat at the table until Elisabeth came down. He had a ten minute talk with her and told her to go back to sleep.

Ten minutes later, he heard Max's alarm go off. It was show time. He just hoped this plan was going to work. He just had to remember not to think about anything when Angel came downstairs. He had to keep his mind blank, otherwise the plan was ruined and Max would know everything.

_I better get some kind of reward for this. _He thought, even though he didn't really mean it. Just the fact that at least two people in this house would be happy and be with the one they loved made this worth doing. Even if he had to lie to Max.

_Don't think of it as lying. _He thought as he heard her come down the stairs. _Think of it as not telling her everything you know. Think of it as keeping a promise to Iggy, and you'll be okay. _

"Good morning Fang." Max yawned, sitting down at the table. "What's going on?"

Fang looked her in the eyes and said, "Nothing much."

_So far, so good. Let's hope I can keep it up._

**Okay, in our next chapter, you'll get to see what Fang's plan is, but until then I'm leaving you hanging. I'll try to have it up soon. Keep reading and reviewing. PLEASE. Tell your friends about my story. I really would appreciate it so much. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Okay, in this chapter you get to find out all about Fang's plan. He has already put it into action. It's actually not all that big because I didn't want to make it the main focus of the chapter. Well, I still hope you like it.**

Iggy had been having the most awesome dream ever. He was walking with Elisabeth and he was about to kiss her, when, somewhere in the distance, a sweet, gentle voice was saying, "Iggy. Come on. It's time to wake up. Iggy." He felt someone shaking him, and the dream was gone.

He opened his eyes to darkness. For a moment, he thought he was going to see bright sunlight and the face of whoever had the indecency to wake him up from such a wonderful dream. But it was only for a moment.

"Rise and shine Iggy." the voice from his dream said. He felt whoever it was sit down next to him. "We're going to be late." It was the voice of an angel. It sounded so familiar. "Iggy, it's me. Elisabeth. Fang's waiting downstairs. Get up, get dressed." Oh, it was Elisabeth. He felt her get up, and heard the door shut.

He sat up and groaned. He wondered what time it was. He wondered why Elisabeth had woken him up, instead of Max, yelling at him for trying to sleep in. He also wondered why he hadn't heard his alarm go off and why Fang was already downstairs. He knew he'd find out soon, so he quickly got dressed and ran downstairs.

When he reached the kitchen, it was perfectly quiet in the house. Normally, in the morning he could hear Gazzy and Angel fighting, Nudge talking up a storm to Ella, Max trying to break up Angel and Gazzy's fight, Fang typing, and Total begging for some pancakes covered in syrup.

_Where is everyone? What's going on?_

"Sorry Ig. No time for breakfast." Fang said from behind him.

Iggy turned around and frowned. "What's going on? Where is everybody? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. I woke up early and turned off your alarm." Fang said, picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Why?" Iggy was confused. Why would Fang turn his alarm clock off?

"So you could walk to school with Elisabeth. You see, this is the plan I came up with. I turned off the alarm, got ready, came downstairs to wait for Elisabeth, told her the plan and told her to go back to bed, waited for Max, got everyone else ready, and then I told Max that I was having a hard time waking up you and Elisabeth." He waited to see what Iggy would say.

"Okay, but how did that help?"

"I'm not finished. Max was all ready to go and drag you two out of bed, when I convinced her to let you sleep in. I told her to take the little ones to school and I'd get you guys up."

"That was your brilliant plan?"

"Hey, would you rather not walk to school with her? Or maybe I should tell Max."

"No, no. Don't do that." Iggy really didn't want that. It was the last thing he needed.

"All right then. She's in the bathroom. Later." Fang said, walking out the door. _They still have a long way to go. Max is going to find out sooner or later. When she does, it's not going to be pretty, but at least there will be no more sneaking around._

Iggy sat down at the table, and waited for Elisabeth. He was so glad Fang had done this for him. At first, Iggy hadn't been all that sure that he should tell Fang. He was Max's best friend after all. But, now he was so glad he did. Things would have been much harder without him.

He heard the door to the bathroom open and shut. Then he heard Elisabeth's footsteps as she walked down the hall.

_Okay Ig. Here she comes. Just don't make a fool of yourself. Whatever you do, do not make a fool of yourself._

"You ready?" Elisabeth asked him. She was standing next to him, so close that he could smell her coconut shampoo stronger than ever before.

She was so nervous. She didn't really know what two people in love did when they walked to school together. She was going to look so dumb. She could feel herself blush and silently thanked the heavens that Iggy was blind.

"Yeah, come on. Let's get going." Iggy said standing up. They walked to the hall together and he opened the door for her. She stepped onto the porch and shivered. It was a little chilly out. She zipped up her coat and walked into the yard to wait for Iggy.

He went down the porch and went to where she was standing. He grabbed her hand and her heart soared. She was going to be just fine. Iggy was new at this too, but he seemed to know what to do. They stepped onto the sidewalk and started walking to school together, hand in hand.

They had no sooner gotten down the street when someone shouted, "Hey! Jeff, Elisabeth! Wait for me guys!" Elisabeth knew that voice. She turned around and sure enough, there was Colten running towards them. There was no mistaking that mop of red hair.

Elisabeth stopped and so did Iggy. She made to let go of his hand, but Iggy leaned down and whispered in her ear, "It's cool. Colten knows."

Elisabeth relaxed a little. That was another person that she didn't have to lie to. That brought the total to…two. Why did she have to lie? Maybe if Max found out things would be better. Sure she'd probably be a little mad at first, but maybe she'd get over it. Elisabeth understood why Max would be angry if she found out. She'd known Iggy since they were little and she was protective of him. She was that way with all of the flock.

"Thanks for waiting on me guys." Colten said when he caught up with them. They continued their walk.

"So you two are together now?" Colten asked. Iggy nodded and smiled.

"Told you she liked you." Colten said. He had known it all along.

"Well you were right." Elisabeth said. "I do like him. A whole lot."

"Yeah, now if I could follow my own advice." he said sighing.

"What'd you mean?" Iggy asked, stopping to let some little kids get by.

"Well…you see…I kind of like someone." Colten said making his face turn almost the exact same color as his hair.

"You have a crush on Caressa right?" Elisabeth asked.

"How'd you know?"

"It's kind of obvious." she replied simply.

"Well what should I do?"

"Just tell her, you'll feel loads better."

"What if she says no?"

"Well, she might. But she might also say yes. You just have to go for it." Honestly, sometimes boys were so dumb. To her it was obvious that Caressa had a crush on him, but she couldn't tell Colten. He needed to find out for himself.

"She's right dude." Iggy said. "Listen to Elisabeth. She knows what she's talking about."

"There she is." Elisabeth said pointing across the street at the school. Caressa was talking to Max, Fang, and Chris. "Go talk to her."

"I can't. Not with everyone around."

"Then call her right now. That way no one will hear."

"I can't. Sorry guys. Guess I'm just too weak. See you later." Colten walked off, hanging his head.

_Poor guy. _Iggy thought, watching him. _He needs some help. I know how he feels. If only I could help him. But I can't. He needs to do this on his own. Maybe I'll talk to him later. That is something I can do._

"Iggy, I think we should stop holding hands now. Before Max sees us and kills us." Elisabeth said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." He dropped her hand and sighed. This was going to be a long day. He couldn't hold her hand at school. If someone saw them, then people would start talking and Max would find out. Then he'd be dead with a capital "D".

"Well, come on. We'd better get going." Elisabeth said, unzipping her jacket. This day was going to suck. She had an entire day with Iggy, and she couldn't do anything except talk to him and she had to be careful with that too.

She sighed heavily and walked with Iggy across the street and to school. Colten wasn't the only one having love issues. She and Iggy were going to have to be extremely careful all day, everyday forever. Well, not forever. One day the truth would get out, but for right now, they just had to pretend everything was normal.

_Why oh why did I have to get stuck in this? You know, I'm going to end up cracking and telling Max. I just know it. But maybe that'll be okay. I mean, you never know. She could be cool with it. All right, if this secret gets too hard to keep then I'll tell Max. Iggy will understand. I hope._

**Okay, well that wasn't all that exciting or anything. In fact, it was pretty boring. The next chapter will be loads better though. The one after that one too. I promise. I'll try to get them up soon, but no guarantees. Keep reading and reviewing. Updates are on the way! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay, in this chapter, we get back to the evil whitecoats and the Director. Heather is also going to be in this chapter. I had to write this chapter, so you would get the next one. Originally I wasn't even going to have this one. But, it's better like this. It ties with the next couple of chapters. It may be a little short and boring, but I tried. Well, I'm going to let you go ahead and read this. Enjoy!**

_Here we go again. _Mike thought, as Stan and him walked down to the Director's office again. It had been two weeks since the incident and he had managed not to get fired. But now, he was surely doomed. The Director was definitely going to fire him.

"Stan, do you know why she called us down here?" he asked nervously, wringing his hands.

"No I don't. But whatever it is, it has to be important. And stop wringing your hands for God sakes! What are you? A six year old?" Mike was making him nervous. Stan knew he was going to be blamed for his partner's stupidity. He was going to get fired or worse.

They stopped at the familiar metal door. This time Stan knocked on it and they waited for the Director's reply.

"Enter." said the ominous voice of the Director from inside her office

Stan pushed the door opened and dragged his dimwitted partner inside. The room looked exactly the same as the last time he had been in here. The only difference was that the Director was facing them and there was a blonde teenage girl standing next to her, looking smug.

"Now, I know you are probably wondering why I called you in here. I will tell you in a moment. First I would like you to meet my daughter." she said calmly, waving in the direction of the girl. "This is Heather. She is the reason why I sent for you."

_She wants us to baby-sit? _Stan thought to himself. This was the important thing they had been forced to come down here. He was a scientist. He hated kids anyways.

"Heather has found out some information concerning the break in. She has found the super-computer and the others. They are currently hiding in a small town in Arizona called Hayden. I want you to go and retrieve them." She folded her hands and placed them on her desk.

"I have a question." Mike said, quietly.

"Well, what is it?" the Director asked.

"Why do you want us to go and get them?"

The Director smirked. "Because, you two are the best I've got. Now get a move on! There is a truck with two robot soldiers in it waiting for you at the front of the building. It has all the information you need." She pressed a button and the door swung open. The two bumbling scientists walked through the door and it shut with a deafening thud.

"Mom, did you really mean what you said to them about them being the best ones for this mission?" Heather asked twirling her hair and grinning evilly.

"Of course not sweetie." said the Director standing up and facing the back wall. "I just said that so they would follow my orders without question. The real reason I sent them is because, they failed me that night when Experiment E-1 escaped. This is a punishment. I don't really expect them to succeed. I just want to frighten dear Maximum. Show her what she's up against. Get her paranoid. One by one the flock will fall. One day, you'll learn all of this. One day, you'll see why I'm doing all of this. It's to make the world a better place for you. You'll understand when I leave all of this to you." She sat back down in her chair.

"But mom, I don't want to be a scientist. It's too icky. I want to be a model or a fashion designer. I've already told you that a thousand times." Heather said, rolling her eyes at her mother.

"I know sweetie. But, you'll grow to like it. You can get revenge on people. It's really a most satisfying job, being Director. You'll love it, I promise."

"Whatever. I'm going home. See you later mom." Heather said walking to the door.

"Oh, Heather. Remember to keep an eye on the flock for the next couple of days. Watch them squirm. Watch them become fearful. Watch them be destroyed. You'll enjoy that." the Director said, turning back to her work.

Heather left her alone. That daughter of hers needed some work. She was still a child. She hadn't yet learned. She would soon see what it took to have power and she'd love it. She'd let her daughter be the one to destroy Fang. Elisabeth too, though she wouldn't kill her. She'd let Heather kill Iggy. That would be the way to break Elisabeth's spirit. That would crush her. She'd show Elisabeth how cruel the world is. She'd show her how being human is weak. How emotions make you weak. How being in love makes you vulnerable. How much better it was to just succumb to reality; the Director was going to win and the flock would go down. She'd have no choice but to let the Director "fix" her human problems. Make her all super-computer. No more useless human emotions weighing her down. She'd see. They'd all see.

"Your time is running out Maximum. Tomorrow marks a new day. I'll soon have you. Your flock will be destroyed, and Elisabeth will be in my control. With her on my side, I'll be more powerful than ever. And you won't stand in my way."

**Really creepy huh? Like I said, that was pretty short and a little boring. The next one will be loads better though. We're getting back to Iggy and Elisabeth. You'll love the next one. More heart pounding action is on the way. Keep reading and reviewing and I'll catch you later. Updating real soon.**


	21. Chapter 21

**New chapter! This one's going to be exciting and just plain awesome! Much better than my last three anyways. I know they were really boring and short and all that stuff, but I was really just trying to link my chapters. It was really difficult, but I managed okay, I guess. Well let me just get on with this chapter, which is totally not a suckfest! I hope anyway.**

The day went by too fast. It was a blur of worksheets and lectures and lunchtime craziness. There was band practice, but that was over too. Angel had begged to stay with Elisabeth and Iggy, so Max consented. That was why, on this beautiful, clear, breezy, sunny, Thursday afternoon, Iggy, Elisabeth, and Angel were walking home together. It was silent, because Angel was talking to Iggy in his mind.

_The sun light's catching her hair and making it shine. The wind's blowing it all around her. _Angel said, trying to get Iggy to break down and tell Elisabeth how he felt.

Iggy, who was trying to keep Angel from knowing what was going on, just tried to ignore her, even though he just wanted to reach out and grab Elisabeth. _Angel, I'm not listening. I don't care what you say. I'm not going to crack._

Angel sighed defeated. _Well fine, but don't say that I did-wait a minute! You already told her! You've been keeping this secret for days! Iggy, you…you…why? Why didn't you tell me?_

Iggy grinned and shrugged. _'Cause you would've given it away to Max. That's why. _

_Well, I'll just talk to Elisabeth. _She focused all of her thoughts on her and extracted the thought she needed. She watched as Iggy grabbed Elisabeth and kissed her, as she cried and he flew away, as she flew after him, and as she kissed him.

_Angel! Did you just do a mind read on me?! That was private! How'd you get it from Iggy?! You're a sneaky little-_

_Oh, you know you don't think I'm a sneaky little thought thief. You're actually happy that I know because that's one less person you have to lie to. That and you thought that if you had to keep that thought and your feelings bottled up any longer, you'd explode. _

_Still, that's private. You could have just asked._

_Yeah, but then you wouldn't have told-hey, is it just me, or has that truck behind us been following us since we left the school? _

Elisabeth turned her head slightly. There was a silver truck behind them. There were two creepy looking guys that gave her a déjà vu feeling in the truck. One had blonde hair and the dark headed one had a mustache. Now that Elisabeth thought about it, the truck had been parked outside of the school all day.

_It has been following us. It was at the school all day, like they were waiting for us. Tell Iggy, we have to run. _Elisabeth's heart pounded. She thought she was safe here. Everyone thought they were safe here. How had they found them? How did they know they were here? How long had they been here? Were they watching them all the time?

_Angel, what's the plan? _Elisabeth asked the six year old.

_We turn this next corner, and make a break for the woods. Fly only if necessary; use force if you have to. Just don't get caught. You do know how to fight, right?_

_A little. Not much, but I think I can handle these two bozos. _Elisabeth's thoughts even sounded panicky. She was scared, and she'd admit it.

They turned the corner and bolted. They ran straight for the woods and didn't look back. They heard something coming after them, but didn't dare look. Elisabeth tripped over a huge tree root and fell.

"Iggy!" He grabbed her arm and yanked her up. Angel stopped and looked behind them.

"We've got company. Two Flyboys are coming this way. U and A guys! Up and away!" Angel shouted in a very Max like tone.

"Angel, we can't." Elisabeth said. "The trees are too thick, we can't fly like this. We have to keep running." Angel nodded and they started running again. The Flyboys were gaining on them.

Soon they came to a dead end. "What are we going to do?" Angel cried.

A Flyboy swooped out of the sky at that moment and droned, "Give us the super-computer and we will spare you. It is what we want, not you inferior experiments. Give us the super-computer and you will live."

Elisabeth knew they wouldn't do it, but she still panicked. Fear had caused people to do some pretty crazy things in the past.

"I don't think so." Iggy said kicking the Flyboy at its shoulder joint, causing its arm to fall off. Its eyes glowed red and it started attacking. The second one soon caught up and it too attacked.

"Elisabeth, I want you to hide." Iggy said, turning to her as he kicked the Flyboy again. He then grabbed a broken tree limb and whacked it in the head. "Go!"

"But Iggy-"

"No buts! They want you and they aren't going to get you. Not on my watch. I'll be okay. Just go!" Elisabeth ran ahead a little and crouched behind a giant rock. The Flyboys were so busy with Iggy and Angel, they didn't notice she was missing. She watched the entire fight from her hiding place.

Ten minutes later Iggy had fallen to the ground. The Flyboy turned his gun on Iggy and said, "We told you, we only wanted the super-computer. You needn't have died. Stupid experiment." The gun warmed up and Elisabeth jumped out and ran at them.

"Iggy! Leave him al-" Her voice got high-pitched. She couldn't hear herself scream, but she could feel it rising out of her throat. Both Flyboys had started to short circuit. They collapsed and Iggy and Angel stared at Elisabeth speechless with their mouths gaping.

She was breathing heavily. She looked at them and panted, "Cool, I've got a new skill." She grabbed her stomach, fell to the ground, and everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Elisabeth came back to consciousness. Her head was killing her and she didn't open her eyes. She was laying on something soft and comfortable, which meant she hadn't been kidnapped. She moaned.

"Guys. Shh. I think she's waking up. She's okay." Elisabeth knew that voice. She cracked her eyes open a little and the first thing she saw was Iggy's brilliant blue eyes. They were set on her, even though he couldn't see. As she looked on, she saw the whole flock, Ella, and Dr. Martinez looking at her too. She smiled and held her head.

"What happened?" she asked groggily. She felt like someone had dropped a ton of rocks on her head. She tried to sit up, but Iggy gently pushed her back down.

"Just lay down. I'll tell you, but you have to stay down." She didn't argue. All she wanted to do was lay down. She felt drained of all of her energy. Fang looked at her and shook his head. His expression plainly said, "You look like crap".

"Basically, after you destroyed the Flyboys, you just passed out." Iggy said simply. It all came rushing back to her. Her right arm was sore where she had fallen on it, but it wasn't broken or sprained.

"Well, I want to know how she destroyed them." Max said. "You said she had a new skill, but what was it?"

"Well, you guys know what a dog whistle does, right?" Elisabeth asked everyone. They all nodded, so she went on. "Well, I think I screamed at such an intensely high frequency that it short circuited the Flyboys. It was so high pitched only they could hear it. It's actually a very strange ability."

"I didn't understand a word of that." Nudge said, uttering the shortest sentence in her life. "What'd you mean 'short circuited'?"

"She means, she screamed so high, it shut them off for good." Iggy clarified.

"Oh, now I get it." Nudge said and then she launched into a conversation with Ella.

"Okay guys, Elisabeth needs her rest if she's going to be able to go to school tomorrow. Let's go." Dr. Martinez said ushering them out.

Iggy hovered over the bed for a minute and bent down to whisper in Elisabeth's ear. "Meet me out by the pool at midnight." He smiled at her and walked out shutting the door behind him.

'_Meet me out by the pool at midnight'? What was that all about? _She wondered. _The pool? Well, maybe that's the only time and place he can think of to talk to me alone at without getting caught. It's on the other side of the house, so Max can't see it out of the window. Well, I'm going to take a nap before I go out. _

She closed her eyes and drifted off into a pleasant dream, in which she and Iggy could express their feelings without having to care what anyone thought or if they'd get caught. It was paradise.

**Okay, that was much better, I think. A little action, and in the next chapter, we get to see Iggy and Elisabeth's little midnight rendezvous by the pool. Updating soon. Read and review please. **


	22. Chapter 22

**Time for the midnight swim. This may get a little crazy. It's going to be a little surprising too. Well, I can't think of anything else to say, so let's get to the pool. Enjoy!**

Elisabeth looked at the clock for the millionth time since Iggy told her to meet him at midnight. It was ten minutes until midnight. Time to go. She looked over at Max's bed, prayed she wouldn't wake up, and tiptoed to the closet.

She only needed her sweatshirt since she hadn't taken off the clothes she had been wearing earlier.

She pulled open the door and it squeaked. Her heart pounded and she looked over at Max again. She hadn't moved a muscle. Elisabeth breathed a sigh of relief and yanked her sweatshirt off its hanger. She shut the door softly and then walked to the other side of the room and sneaked out. She was also thankful that she had asked Max to leave the door open.

She silently made her way downstairs. She was just about at the door, when someone shone a light in her eyes. It was Fang, holding a flashlight. He had almost made her scream. That would've woken everyone up, and then she would have been in major trouble.

"Little late for a walk." Fang said, smirking.

"Yeah, but you know why I'm down here I assume." she replied smugly to her brother.

"Yeah, you and Iggy are sneaking around."

"Well, what are you doing up so late?" Elisabeth asked.

"To tell you, that Max is going to find out. I know she will. You might as well just tell her. It'll be better like that. Trust me; I know what happens when you lie to her. It isn't pretty." Fang was starting to get uneasy about this. He didn't think he could lie much longer. Not to Max. He hadn't been able to look her in the eyes for days.

"I know, but Iggy won't let me. I told him we should just tell her, but he said she'd murder us. I don't like this anymore than you do, but you're right; she is going to find out. Believe me; I'll be happy when she does. Listen Fang, I have to go. Iggy's waiting for me. I'll see you later." She pushed past him, opened the door, and gently shut it behind her.

It was cold and she was glad she brought her sweatshirt. She pulled it over her head and then walked to the other side of the house.

She saw Iggy, sitting on the edge of the pool. She chuckled silently to herself and made her presence known. "Hi Iggy. I had a little trouble getting out." She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his.

He smiled and said, "Max wake up?"

"No, Fang wanted to talk to me. Nothing major though. So, want to tell me why you wanted to meet me by the pool?"

"I felt like going swimming." he said smiling. "Come on."

He pulled off his shirt and she noticed that Iggy didn't have any noticeable muscles. That didn't matter to her though. She knew he was strong, in more ways then one. He was a strong fighter, strong willed, and his love for her was strong. That was what mattered to her. She didn't need to see muscles to prove that he was strong. She wasn't shallow like other girls.

"What?" Iggy asked, laughing.

"Nothing, just that you're insane! It's like thirty degrees out here!" she yelled at him, laughing too.

"Ah yes, but we have a heated pool." he said and with that he jumped in. There was a big splash as Iggy went under and came back up, soaking wet, his hair clinging to his face.

"Come in, the water's awesome." He started to splash her and laughed.

"Hey, cut it out!" she screamed.

"Not unless you come in!" he said, continuing to splash her.

"Fine!" She pulled off her sweatshirt, took off her shoes, and jumped in, fully clothed. There was another big splash and then, Elisabeth came up.

"Iggy, you're crazy."

"Yeah, I am. Crazy about you." He pulled her close to him and, for the fifth time in his life, he kissed her. It was only then that he realized how much he loved her. He hadn't kissed her in three days, but it was still just as good as ever, maybe even better.

All too soon, she pulled away from him. He felt his heart twinge with pain. He never wanted to stop kissing her.

'"Why'd you stop?" he asked.

"Because, you splashed me." she said, pretending to pout, like Vanessa.

Iggy started laughing. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Would you like me to rub your wings? Maybe I should kick myself. Would you like that?"

This time, it was Elisabeth's turn to laugh. "I thought you wanted to come out here to swim? That wasn't swimming." she said, and she swam away from him. "Try to catch me Iggy."

He laughed and swam after her. After a few minutes, he caught her and tried to kiss her again. She got out of his grip and swam away again. He started to wonder if she was part fish.

They kept doing this, until Elisabeth got tired, and swam to the edge of the pool. She got out and sat on the side, panting. Iggy soon followed her and sat next to her.

They sat in silence, Elisabeth looking at the stars, for a while when Iggy asked, "Elisabeth, do you believe in God?"

At first, Elisabeth was speechless because Iggy caught her off guard. She thought for a second and then, slowly, said, "Well, scientists believe that God does not exist. They think a giant explosion created the universe and everything in it. But I'm not a scientist. I'm a fourteen-year-old bird girl with the brain of a super computer. I do believe in him Iggy. Why? Do you?"

"Yeah, I do. There just has to be something better than all of this." he said. He stood up and grabbed his shirt.

Elisabeth stood up too, but instead of picking up her sweatshirt, she took Iggy in her arms and kissed him.

He dropped his shirt, and wrapped his arms around her. Her lips were so soft against his. She was shivering slightly from the cold, so he put up his wings and created a barrier between her and the harsh wind.

She felt safe here with him. In his arms, with his wings around her, she felt like she was home. She fit here. No one else did. She loved him and she knew that this was all real. That this really was happening to her. She was finally lucky. She finally felt like a person. Not an experiment or a super-computer. She felt loved and wanted. She wanted so desperately to spread out her wings and fly away with him. Fly away and never look back, but she knew that they couldn't. They had a life here. Then there was the flock.

She felt dizzy. How long had they been kissing? A year? She pulled her lips slowly off of his. She opened her eyes to look into his, but what she saw instead shocked her.

There was Max, just standing behind them, tapping her foot, looking enraged.

She was in trouble now. She started to pull away from Iggy. "Everything okay, Elisabeth? What's wrong?" he asked her breathlessly.

"I'll tell you what's wrong Iggy. You need to put your shirt back on." Max said her voice like ice.

Iggy sightless eyes went wide. "Max?" He let go of Elisabeth and grabbed his shirt. He pulled it on and started panicking.

Elisabeth yanked her sweatshirt on. Her t-shirt had been clinging onto her body where it was wet. It was okay when she was just out here with Iggy, but with Max out here, she felt embarrassed. She could feel her face burn red.

"Does anyone care to explain?" Max asked impatiently.

"I'm sorry Max, I should've told you. I just thought you would be mad." Iggy said, finding his voice.

"Oh, I'm way past mad. I'm furious." They were going to get it now.

"Max, I'm sorry. This is all my fault." Elisabeth said, surprising herself.

"Just please explain how you could possibly do this."

"I'll tell you Max." Iggy said. "I love Elisabeth. I love her so much. She's just wonderful. If you want to be mad at anyone, then be mad at me. I told her to come out here. I'm sorry." he said, mostly to Elisabeth.

Max closed her eyes and muttered to herself. A little while later, she sighed and then said, "I must be crazy, but I'm going to let this continue. Just, don't let me catch this again. Okay Iggy? No more taking off your shirt."

Elisabeth breathed a sigh of relief and Iggy broke into a smile. "Thanks Max. Thanks." he said.

"But, that doesn't mean you're off the hook."

'What're you going to do?" Elisabeth asked.

"Not sure yet, but for now, you two are getting back upstairs and I don't want to hear another peep out of you." she said opening the door.

"Wait a second, how did you find out?" Iggy asked.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? People could hear you guys in Russia. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow the first thing on the news was the noise that kept people around the world up all night."

They silently walked into the living room and were on their way upstairs when, the light switched on. Dr. Martinez was standing by the doorway and she looked furious.

"And just where were you?" she asked. She wasn't talking in her normal kind voice. She was talking in a harsh whisper.

"You heard huh?" Iggy asked.

"Yes I did. Now, I see that you two have been secretly seeing each other." she said, gesturing at Elisabeth and Iggy. "Now, I will let this continue, but no more sneaking around, especially not at midnight. If I hear about anymore late night swims or anything else, the punishment will be severe. Do you understand?" she asked.

Elisabeth and Iggy nodded. Dr. Martinez let them go back upstairs.

"I'm sorry I got you in so much trouble, Elisabeth." Iggy said. He felt awful. He felt worse than awful. He never imagined that anything like that would happen.

"It's okay Iggy. It's not entirely your fault. It's mine too. Well, at least there's no more lying." she said. That was the best part of this whole night.

"Yeah, I guess. Well, I'll see you in the morning." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Then he turned and walked to his room.

Elisabeth stood in the hall for a second, smiling. She finally turned and walked to her room.

Max was sitting up in bed. "Take off your wet clothes and put on some pajamas." she said. Then she laid down and covered up.

Elisabeth changed clothes, shut off the light, crawled into bed, and went to sleep, still smiling.

**So, how about that? It was much longer than usual I think. You're probably thinking, 'Why did you make Max find out this early?'. The answer to that is that I just didn't want them to have to keep hiding everything. It was getting too complicated. I don't know when I'll have another chapter up, but I'll try to have something soon. We're probably going back to the Director and the whitecoats. Keep reading and reviewing. If you have any ideas, let me know. Updates are coming soon, I hope. We'll see.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay guys, sorry it's been a while. I've just had a lot of stuff going on. Homework, friends, band practice, and my family have kept me very busy. I've been trying to get this chapter up for a while, but I just never got enough time to finish. Well, I'm finally done and I'm really happy. So, here's Chapter 23 for your reading pleasure.**

"You mean to tell me, that they got away again?" the Director asked. The two incompetent sorry excuses for scientists had failed yet again, as she knew they would. However, she had not known that it would be this bad. This was completely humiliating. How had these two passed the test to make it into her organization?

"It wasn't our fault." Mike babbled nervously.

"Oh, really? I'd love to hear this excuse." That's all the pathetic lamebrains could do; give excuses as to why they didn't do their jobs right.

"Honestly ma'am, it wasn't our fault. We sent the robots after them just like you instructed. They chased them into the woods and the little girl and the blind kid started attacking them, while the super-computer hid. The two experiments were no match for the robots and the blind one went down. The robot was about to shoot his head off, when the super-computer came out, jumped in between them, and then she screamed. The robots short circuited and she collapsed." He paused for a moment.

"Well, why didn't you get them when you knew the super-computer was down. They were vulnerable. They couldn't get her out of there without walking because she'd be too heavy to carry while flying." the Director said through gritted teeth.

_Incompetence. _She thought angrily. _I'm surrounded by incompetent buffoons._

"That wasn't in our instructions." Stan replied.

The Director rolled her eyes as she said, "It was common sense."

She waved them out the door and then, when they were gone, got into her desk drawer, pulled out a bottle of aspirin, and downed two pills. She sighed and sat back in her chair.

Experiment E-1 seemed to be developing her abilities a little later than expected, but they were also stronger than expected. She also seemed to be developing very serious feelings for the blind one, Iggy. It was no doubt the bird DNA was causing this particular thing to happen.

When birds mate, they mate for life, so naturally when the bird kids found someone they thought to be attractive, then they'd have strong feelings for this person. Stronger feelings than humans. More complex feelings than humans.

"But Experiment E-1 shouldn't have feelings for anyone or anything. She should be emotionless, she should be my obedient slave, but she's not. All because Dr. Mullins loved her like a daughter and stole some of our important files on the experiment we were going to perform before she left. That is the reason Maximum and the flock still live and I have not fixed this world. We searched everywhere for her, but never found a trace. It's like she disappeared off the face of the earth."

The Director banged her fist on her desk. The sound echoed throughout the empty room.

That woman was one of the many reasons for everything that had happened in the past. That wretched woman who loved Experiment E-1 like a daughter. That wretched woman who had ruined everything. That wretched woman who…

The intercom came on. "Your daughter to see you ma'am."

Why was Heather here?

"Send her in." the Director replied.

A second later, the door swung open, and Heather entered the room. She was wearing a scowl on her face and she looked aggravated.

"They were at school today! All of them!" she shouted. "I thought they were going to be in cages or dead!"

"I never said that." the Director sighed. "I said that hopefully the robots would work. It seems Elisabeth has developed an ability. A very powerful one. One that we hadn't expected."

"What kind of an ability?"

"She can short circuit robots if she screams loudly enough. The one good thing though is that she can't use it too much. The shock on her systems was so enormous that she passed out. If she uses it a lot, she could die."

"That's good news? She has an ability that can destroy your robots if she screams really loud but if she uses it too much, she could die? Don't you think she has figured that out already?" Heather asked, filing her nails.

"She probably has, but if we put the flock in serious danger either she'll give into us, or die trying to save them."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"You'll see soon enough."

**Okay, that was pretty short. Like I said, I haven't had a lot of time. I'll try to update more. In the next chapter, the flock will be back at school and Fang will be turning in his creative writing project. Miss Arnold will be in this chapter and things are going to be pretty revealing. I'll say no more. Updating soon, or at least I will try. Keep reading and reviewing please. It's what keeps me going!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, I found a little time to write this weekend, so I'm updating. In the last chapter, Max found out about Elisabeth and Iggy, and she didn't react the way they thought she would. In this chapter, school just let out for the day and Fang is turning in his project for Miss Arnold, so the Flock and Ella go with him. I'll say no more, but things are starting to change big time. Well, here it is. Enjoy! P.S. Go on my profile and vote on my poll, please. Thanks!**

It was Friday, my first week at school was over. I walked to my locker, where Elisabeth and Iggy were waiting for me, as usual. They smiled and I banged my head against my locker door, the noise ringing in my ears.

"I hate gym class." I informed them when I had stopped.

It wasn't the gym part that I hated. It was the fact that Chris and I had to endure ninety minutes of it with Vanessa, Heather, and Kylie. Not very enjoyable. I hated them, almost as much as I hated the whitecoats. They were horrible. Let's just say that today, they were worse than usual. I won't go into detail, but you can imagine. And if you can't, lucky you.

I shut my locker door after I grabbed my stuff and we stood there waiting for Nudge, Ella, and Fang to show up before heading home. This was our daily routine. We waited for a couple of minutes, when Vanessa came up to us. Joy. My day was about to get a whole lot worse.

She was smiling a very fake smile that looked forced.

"Well, look who it is. Max, Elisabeth, and Jeff. What are you guys doing here?"

"I think that we're standing at Max's locker waiting for Nick, Ella, and Alex." Elisabeth said, her eyes narrowing. "Right Max?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what we're doing." I said, folding my arms. I knew what she was trying to do; get Iggy to herself.

"Oh, well I just wanted to ask Jeff something." she said, shooting an evil look at Elisabeth and me.

"What is it?" Iggy asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies with me tonight." she said, tossing her hair back.

"Sorry, I'm already with someone." he said, smiling.

Vanessa's fake smile was wiped off her face. "Who?" she asked, menacingly.

"Me." Elisabeth said, grabbing Iggy's arm.

"But, she's your sister." Vanessa scoffed.

"Adopted sister. Doesn't count. Now, if you don't mind, leave." Elisabeth said. She was a little scary and not like the Elisabeth I had lived with for the past month.

Vanessa scowled and walked off. I knew she wasn't through yet. She hadn't claimed Iggy like she had intended. She'd be back and this time, she'd be ruthless.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Elisabeth?" Iggy asked.

"Sorry, I just can't stand her. She practically throws herself at you. Someone had to get through to her little pea brain that you weren't interested."

We went silent and waited for the others to show up. It wasn't long before Ella and Nudge showed up with Gaz and Angel.

"Mom called and told us to pick them up. She had a little emergency." Ella informed me. "Nothing big, just work." she said looking at the concerned expression on my face.

Now, we just needed Fang. Where was he?

My question was answered at that moment when I saw Fang running down the hall, his backpack slung over his shoulder, with something in his hand.

He was out of breath when he got to my locker. "Sorry I'm late. Project. Have to go turn it in. Come on."

I shrugged and followed him with the flock following me. We walked down the hall not bothering to ask Fang anything. Nudge was talking to Ella and Elisabeth was leading Iggy along.

We stopped at an open door near Mr. Foster's biology class. No one was inside, but Fang went in anyway, and we followed.

"Guess she's not in here. Let's just wait, because this is really important." Fang said, sitting on the edge of a table.

"Wait, is this the project where you followed us around with a camera and asked us dumb questions?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Yeah." Fang said.

We hadn't been waiting very long, when a young woman with long dark brown hair came in. I assumed this was Fang's teacher, even though she didn't look like most teachers.

"Hi Miss Arnold." Fang said standing up.

"Hi Nick." she said smiling. "Got your project?"

Fang nodded and handed it to her.

She smiled and said, "So, are these your brothers and sisters?"

"Yep. This is Max, Jeff, Alex, Ella, Angie, Greg, and my twin sister Elisabeth."

"Your twin Elisabeth?" Miss Arnold asked.

Elisabeth looked at her and she looked back. They stared at each other for a second and then Elisabeth said, "So, Miss Arnold, how long have you been teaching here?"

Miss Arnold looked startled. "Two years." she answered.

"Did you work at another school before coming to this one? Maybe one in New Jersey?"

"No, I didn't." she replied, looking a little…nervous?

"Elisabeth, what's wrong with you?" Fang asked his sister.

"This woman isn't who she says she is." she said in a whisper.

"What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"This is Dr. Charlotte Mullins." she said, staring at the woman.

"Who?" Fang asked.

"Wait, isn't that the name of that whitecoat?" Iggy asked. "I thought she died."

"So did I." Elisabeth said.

"You're a whitecoat?" Fang asked.

Great, a whitecoat. I really didn't need this. Not today. Not after yesterday.

I was about to attack, when Elisabeth stopped me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"She's not a bad one. She took care of me. She tried to save me. She named me." Elisabeth said, with tears in her eyes.

I looked at Angel. Hopefully she could shed some light on this.

_Elisabeth's right Max. She's not a bad one. She's ok as far as I can tell._

That was good enough for me.

"So, anyone going to tell me the whole story?" I asked. Needless to say, I was curious. The whole flock was. With the exception of maybe Iggy, no one knew Elisabeth's whole story.

"I'll explain." said Miss Arn- I mean, Dr. Mullins. "Elisabeth doesn't know the whole story. Only half of it."

She took a breath and, making sure all the windows were locked and the doors were closed, said, "I hadn't been working at the School very long, when Elisabeth was brought there. I suppose she was with you all for a few weeks before being sent to New Jersey. I guess they thought that, since Elisabeth and Fang were twins, they should be separated."

She paused and then continued. "Well, I sort of looked after Elisabeth. I named her and I would talk to her. I taught her how to read and many other things."

" She was always rebellious. She never liked the way they treated her. She would refuse to test and she once attacked someone."

This didn't sound like Elisabeth, but I assumed that what happened to her, changed her.

"Then there was the night she tried to escape. She almost made it too, but they eventually got her. They beat her and it almost killed her. I got them to stop, but then they said that they were going to make her listen to them. I knew what that meant. They would make her into an emotionless super-computer, who followed orders with out question. I couldn't let that happen. So, that night I took some important files, and I left." Tears came down her face.

"I'm sorry Elisabeth. I didn't want to leave you in that awful place, but I had to. They were going to use you to destroy the world. I'm the reason that you still have emotions. I'm the reason that you're still you."

Talk about a tear jerker. Elisabeth hugged Dr. Mullins and said, "I know. It's okay. I forgive you."

"So, have you known who we were from the start?" Fang asked, after Elisabeth let go of Dr. Mullins.

"Yes. Even though I never saw you before, I knew who you were because you look so much like Elisabeth. The only thing I didn't know was that she was here with you, but then I saw you working on your project. I saw Elisabeth's name, and I knew then she was safe."

"Well, you better learn our real names." I said to her.

"I already know them." she said to me. "Maximum, Fang, Iggy, Elisabeth, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel." she said, pointing to each one of us as she said our name.

"Yeah, that's right." I said.

"I've heard all about you. The news and newspapers and some old colleagues of mine. It seems you're all they talk about."

She got that right. 'The Mysterious Bird Kids' and all of that stuff. We were like celebrities. People searched the sky for us sometimes. It was annoying. How are you supposed to hide from evil scientists, when you're being put on the news?

"I'd like to help in anyway I can." Dr. Mullins said. "Here's my number. Call if you ever need me. I may be of some help." she said handing me a piece of paper.

I took it and then, after thanking her, led the flock out of the school and on the way home.

"Well, that was interesting." Fang said.

That was the understatement of the century, but before I had time to tell Fang that, Nudge said, "Ooh I'm so happy that you and Iggy are going out Elisabeth. It's so awesome and you guys are so cute together."

She and Ella talked about how cute it was and how they wanted boyfriends all the way home.

Everyone was pretty sick of it, but I hadn't expected Gazzy to throw his stuff in the hall, run upstairs, and scream, "I hate girls!", before slamming his bedroom door.

Oh no. Now the Gasman was having problems. What else could go wrong?

I ran upstairs and tried to talk to him, but he just wouldn't open up.

I wondered what was up with him. He had been fine earlier. A little quieter than usual, but still completely fine. Or had he? Maybe something had been bugging the Gasman for a long time.

I was just about to give up, when Elisabeth came upstairs.

"Still can't get through to him?"

I shook my head.

"Let me try. I think I know what this is all about." she said. She knocked on the door and said, "Gaz, come on. It's me, Elisabeth. Will you please open up. I just want to talk. I know why you're upset. Come on."

The door slowly opened and Elisabeth walked inside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Gasman was sitting on his bed when Elisabeth walked in. He looked upset and sad, like he'd been crying.

"What'd you want?" he asked her, looking mad.

She sat down next to him and said, "I want to talk. I know what's wrong and I want to help."

"There's nothing wrong." Gazzy said. Nothing she'd understand anyway.

'This is about me and Iggy. I know it is. He's your best friend and you feel like he's been ignoring you."

Maybe she did understand.

"We used to have so much fun together. I just miss him that's all. I'm not mad at you, but sometimes I wish I had the old Iggy back." He just wanted his best friend.

"Well, there are some things you can do with Iggy that I can't. You can make bombs with him. Well actually I can do that…but I won't. That's your special thing. He's still your best friend, he's just love struck. Trust me, in a few days everything will be back to normal. I'll make sure." she said, smiling.

"Thanks Elisabeth. You're not so bad after all." He hugged her.

"Could you do me a favor? Never tell anyone I did that."

"You got it. Now, come on downstairs. Iggy's probably made something really good." she said, standing up.

The Gasman followed her into the dining room.

"Everything ok?" Max asked.

"Everything's fine." Elisabeth said.

The Gasman sat down next to Iggy and whispered something to him. They started laughing and joking.

"Everything's fine." she said as she sat down next to Iggy.

**Alright, there you have Chapter 24. Dr. Mullins is going to play a very important part in this fanfic, but you won't find out about that until later. I also thought, that since Elisabeth and Iggy were seeing each other, that Gazzy may be going through some problems, because Iggy's his best friend. I thought Elisabeth should be the one to talk to him and fix everything. I can't say when there'll be another chapter, but I'll try to update soon. Keep reading and reviewing and check out my poll. Catch you later.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Time for an update. This is just really a filler. I had a little case of writer's block and just decided that this would be cute. Just more Iggy and Elisabeth stuff. Jeb's coming back too. Well, here you go.**

The rest of the flock was downstairs while Elisabeth and Iggy were doing geometry homework. They were sitting in Iggy's room on his bed. They had just finished band practice, so as soon as they got home, Max had made them go upstairs and get started, while everyone else was playing cards.

They didn't mind though. They were happy to get away from everyone, especially Nudge and Ella. Every time they saw the two of them together, they'd giggle and go, "Awww".

Elisabeth looked over at Iggy and smiled. He was tapping his pencil on his book, his face screwed up in concentration. He sighed, turned in her direction, and said, "Elisabeth, if you weren't super smart, would you understand how to do geometric proofs?"

She thought for a second and replied, "No, I don't think I would."

They both burst into laughter. Eventually, Iggy calmed down and said, "I didn't think so."

They continued their homework, Elisabeth reading out the problems to Iggy. They were just too easy for her, but she knew she had to work them out anyway. She also had to get a few wrong, otherwise, they'd probably put her in some advanced class and then Iggy would be alone.

"Elisabeth, I think I'm finished, but can you check this last problem for me?" Iggy asked, handing her his paper.

She glanced at it, looking at Iggy's handwriting. It was very neat for a blind guy, or any guy really. The problem was right, so she told him so.

"Yes!" he said, pumping his fist in the air. "I have conquered geometry!" He slammed his book shut and stuffed it in his backpack. Then, he yawned and stretched out on the bed next to Elisabeth, putting his head in her lap.

"How am I supposed to finish my work, when you're laying there?" she asked, chuckling softly.

"That's the point. You work too hard. You need to learn how to relax." he said, with a twinkle in his sightless eyes.

"Iggy…"

"Shh. You can do that later. Just lay down, I'll get up." He sat up and patted the side of his leg. "Lay down." he instructed.

She sighed, closed her book, and laid down, resting her head on his knee. She stared up at him and smirked. "Better?" she asked, laughing.

"Yeah." he said. He bent down and kissed her forehead.

She looked back up at him and asked, "What was that for?"

"Because." He placed his hand on her forehead and smiled. "You're blushing. I can tell. You're turning really red. You're like a tomato." He snickered.

"Yeah, well that's your fault."

"I know."

Everything was quiet. That was a bit unusual. A second ago, you could hear laughing and talking downstairs.

Elisabeth was about to say something to Iggy, when he bent his head down, and kissed her on the lips this time.

It was a quick, gentle kiss, not lasting more than five seconds, but the way he did it made it seem longer, as if the whole world had stopped in those five seconds.

She closed her eyes and smiled. Iggy's finger brushed her mouth.

"What're you smiling about?" he asked, smiling himself.

"What'd you think I'm smiling about? This is just really nice, you know? I like being with you, not doing anything. I like you kissing me like that. You know, all gentle and it's kind of sweet."

"You mean like this?" he asked, kissing her again.

It was still gentle, but it wasn't as short. Then, he kissed her again. Still gentle, but more…passionate. Not like the kind of awkward first kiss or even like the kind of kiss you get, when you're in that mushy puppy love.

This was a real kiss. The kind you get or give when you're seriously in love; when you know it's for real. She didn't think such a kiss existed, but yet here she was, with Iggy, receiving that kiss.

He let go of her lips, but she wasn't ready to stop. This time, she kissed him in that passionate way, but still gently. She felt her lips part, but before anything could happen, someone giggled inside her head.

Angel.

She stopped kissing Iggy and sat up.

"Angel." she said, so he wouldn't think she had wanted to stop.

_Sorry Elisabeth. _Angel giggled.

_Well, what did you want?_

_Were you and Iggy just about to-_

_Angel! _

_Fine. Sorry. Jeb's here. Max wants you guys downstairs, so I said I'd get you. So, were you really going to-_

_Stop it! No, I wasn't about to do anything!_

_Uh huh, sure. I know better. _

_Ugh. Tell Max we're coming. Oh, and if you tell anyone about this, Angel-_

_I know, I know. Dead and buried._

_Right._

Iggy shook his head. "What is it?"

"They want us downstairs. Jeb's here."

"Ok, but why'd you blush all of a sudden."

"Angel-"

"Oh, she read your thoughts huh?"

"She spied on us."

"Did she see everything?"

"I think so, and since she can read minds, she got more out of us than Max would have if she looked through the window or something."

"And that is one of the bad things about having a six year old mind reader in the house; she knows what you want to do before you do."

"Yeah. Well, come on. We had better get downstairs. We don't want them to think anything's going on up here."

"Yeah." he said, getting up and running his hand through his strawberry blonde hair. He yawned and opened the door.

"After you m'lady." he said, bowing.

She laughed, curtsied, and said, "Why thank you kind sir."

She started to walk downstairs, but Iggy said, "And just what does the lady think she is doing?"

"Walking down the stairs."

"Oh no you're not. I'll carry you."

"You'll what?"

As an answer, Iggy scooped her up in his arms, bride style. "I'll carry you." he said smiling.

"Are you sure you should be? I mean, what if you trip?"

"Do you trust me or not?"

"Alright. You may proceed." she said, in a British accent.

He laughed and said, "That was pretty good. You could teach Gaz a thing or two."

"What are you guys doing?" Max shouted from the living room.

"We're coming!" Iggy shouted back and then he carried Elisabeth down the stairs, humming 'Here Comes the Bride'. Elisabeth giggled.

When they got downstairs and into the living room, they were met by staring faces. Everyone was looking at them like they were crazy.

Iggy sat Elisabeth down on the couch and then sat right down next to her. He really didn't care what they thought anymore. He was in love and he was happy.

"Umm…so, Jeb, what did you want to talk to the flock about?" Dr. Martinez asked, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, I just came by to check up on them. After you called me and told me Elisabeth had almost been kidnapped, I thought I had better come and check up on everyone." Jeb said, flustered.

"Well, everyone's fine. Except for what happened on Thursday, nothing has been going on. We haven't seen anyone suspicious or anything." Max said when she had recovered from that slight shock.

"Yep, nothing's been happening." Nudge said. She was in one of her moods. "I just met a really nice guy at school, Ella got asked out by a guy, we've made new friends, Iggy and Elisabeth found out they liked each other, oh and Fang's creative writing teacher turned out to be a whitecoat up at the School in New Jersey named Dr. Charlotte Mullins who knows Elisabeth. Hey, are Iggy and Elisabeth technically dating 'cause, I mean, they never go anywhere together like on a date, so does that still count as da-"

"Wait," Jeb said, interrupting Nudge, "Dr. Mullins. I heard that she died. Are you sure that's who she is?"

"Yeah. I should know. I know it's her." Elisabeth said.

"Yeah Jeb. I checked her out and everything. Elisabeth's right. It is her." Angel said.

"Yes well, it was probably just a rumor." Jeb said, shaking his head.

"Well, is that all you wanted?" Max asked, raising her eyebrows suspiciously.

"No, actually, I wanted to know what exactly happened that day Elisabeth almost got kidnapped."

"We were just walking home with Angel from school." Iggy said. "Angel told me a silver truck was following us and we ran to the woods. A couple of Flyboys attacked us. They said they wanted Elisabeth and told us to give her to them. We refused and fought them. One nearly killed me, but Elisabeth used her new ability and they short-circuited. Then she passed out. That was it." Iggy finished.

"New ability?" Jeb asked.

"Yeah." Angel said. "If she screams really loud she can short circuit…I guess anything electronic."

"Well, that's a new one." Jeb said standing up.

"So, that all?" Max asked again.

"For now." Jeb said. He walked out of the living room and a few seconds later, they heard the door shut.

Everyone was silent, until Nudge said, "Hey Iggy? Are you and Elisabeth going to get married? Can I be in the wedding? Oh, Elisabeth would be so pretty in a white dress. You have to let me plan the whole thing." Nudge was on a roll.

Elisabeth sighed. That was the last thing she needed; Nudge planning her wedding.

Iggy, who knew she was irritated, leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, when we get married, we'll tie her up 'till the whole thing's over."

That made Elisabeth laugh silently. "Thanks." she whispered back.

Max rolled her eyes and said, "Nudge, they aren't getting married. Now go on upstairs. It's time for you to get to sleep."

Max ushered the little kids upstairs. Then, she turned to Iggy and Elisabeth. "See, now she'll never shut up about you two getting married. Why do you do this to me? Haven't I suffered enough?" she asked, pointing to her wings.

"Just do me a favor." Total said. "When you guys do get married, make sure you have plenty of buffalo wings at the reception. I love buffalo wings."

Max rolled her eyes again and Elisabeth said, "We aren't getting married anytime soon Total. And besides, you know what happens when you have buffalo wings; you smell worse than the Gasman."

This caused everyone to laugh.

"Just, don't get Nudge started." Fang said. "No more carrying her downstairs, at least, not when anyone's around."

"I was going for general shock." Iggy said laughing.

"Yeah, well you succeeded."

Elisabeth yawned and said, "Well, I'm going to bed. Night Iggy."

"Night." he said kissing her on the forehead.

She walked upstairs, followed by Max.

"Well, come on Ig. Let's get upstairs." Fang said.

"Yeah." Iggy said, yawning.

_How did I get so lucky? _He thought.

_She's wondering the same thing Iggy._

_Night Angel._

_Night._

**Ok, like I said that was just a filler. I hadn't expected it to be this long though. I thought it was really cute. Well, keep reading and reviewing and check out my poll. If you have any ideas let me know. Peace out.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hey guys. I'm back with another chapter. I've had so much homework it wasn't even funny, but the other day, I had a snow day so I got to write and today I found some time to type. This is just another filler. It's not going to be all that long, I think. Well, let me just get on with this then. Enjoy!**

Monday again. First day of the second week of school. Everything had started out pretty normal. Dr. Martinez drove the flock to the elementary school, dropped off the little ones, and the others walked the rest of the way to school together. Of course, Elisabeth and Iggy held hands and Nudge and Ella cooed over them.

The school day was pretty normal too. Max, Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth went to English class first and watched _The Outsiders._ Then they split; Max and Fang headed to biology with Colten, and Iggy and Elisabeth went to geometry with Chris and Caressa.

The big thing happened right after lunch, which started out pretty normal too. They sat down at their usual table with Chris, Caressa, and Colten.

"Ugh. I hate gym class." Chris sighed sitting down.

"What happened this time?" Caressa asked her sister.

"It's too horrible." she groaned, causing everyone to laugh. "If you honestly want to know, then ask Max. She'll tell you how horrible it was."

Everyone turned to Max.

She laid her fork back down on her tray and sighed. "Vanessa kept hitting her on the head with a volleyball. She told Coach Hoffman, but she said since she didn't see it, there was nothing she could do."

"That's so unfair!" Caressa said. "I bet Coach Hoffman only said that because Vanessa's dad might have sued for "wrongful persecution" or some other crap."

"Well, why didn't you do something? You should've hit her back." Iggy said.

"It's not that simple. I wanted to, but I would've gotten suspended. Mr. Winslow would've made sure of that. Then, after my suspension, Vanessa would've milked it, saying I gave her brain damage or something, and then Mr. Winslow would've sued. So either way, there was nothing I could do."

"I swear, that girl has it coming to her." Elisabeth said, huffily. "Have you noticed the way she keeps looking at me with that death glare unless Jeff is around? Then she's all sweet to me?"

"I know. It's sickening. She just wants to be left alone with him so she can take him from you." Chris said and Caressa nodded.

"Girls." Colten muttered. "You never see guys doing this kind of stuff."

Fang nodded in agreement. "Nope, you don't."

"No, and that's because you guys handle everything with your fists. You never think anything through." Max said, rolling her eyes.

"How about we get off of this subject and talk about something normal?" Iggy said, kicking Fang and Colten underneath the table. "Something that doesn't have to do with Vanessa and her cronies."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Colten said.

"Well, what?" Chris asked. "What are we supposed to talk about?"

"I don't know, anything." Iggy said, picking at his food. It was disgusting and he didn't even know what it was. Elisabeth told him it was supposed to be macaroni and cheese, but it sure didn't taste or smell like it.

"Well, what about you and Elisabeth?" Caressa asked, her blue eyes going wide.

"Anything but that." Iggy said, his ears turning pink.

"Why?" Chris asked. "Why don't you want to talk about that?"

"Alex and Ella." Elisabeth said, sighing.

"Oh. Enough said then. Forget we brought it up." Caressa said, understandingly.

They sat in silence for a long time. No one really had much to say. Max had a lot she wanted to discuss with Fang, Elisabeth, and Iggy, but she couldn't do it here. Whenever she could do it, either she forgot, or something else was going on.

"Are you guys sure this is macaroni and cheese?" Iggy asked. "Or are you playing some sick joke on the blind guy?"

"Pretty sure." Fang said, poking it with his fork. "Or at least, that's what it says on the menu."

"This is so nasty. I wish it was your mac and cheese I was eating Jeff. It actually tastes like macaroni, not like this stuff." Max said, looking at her tray in disgust.

"You cook?" Chris asked, stunned.

"Yeah, a little." Iggy replied shrugging.

"What does this stuff taste like anyway?" Colten asked. "I can't tell. Dog food maybe?"

"No, that's not it. Dog food probably tastes better." Fang mused.

"Why do guys always have to say that school lunch tastes like dog food or something?" Caressa asked.

"When you find out, let me know." Max said, taking a drink of water to get the nasty taste of cafeteria food out of her mouth.

"Because, it does taste like that. We just want to make sure we aren't the only ones thinking it." Colten said.

Elisabeth looked up and groaned. "Oh no. It's Vanessa again. She's coming this way."

"What does she want now?" Caressa asked, closing her eyes and moaning.

The bell rang and Max said, relieved, "Guess we won't find out."

"Thank God." Elisabeth said.

They got up, dumped their trays, and then went their separate ways. Chris and Fang went to creative writing and the others went to history.

They walked, talking about how the cafeteria needed to be inspected by the Health Department. Nothing unusual at all. Totally normal. You wouldn't know that three of the kids walking and talking had wings.

Then, Elisabeth felt a tap on her shoulder, and she was pulled over by…Vanessa.

"What do you want?" Elisabeth asked, severely annoyed.

"Why are you dating Jeff anyways? He's like your adopted brother. Isn't that kind of weird?" Vanessa asked. She wasn't even pretending to be nice.

"Well maybe to you, but not to me."

"Your whole family is weird. No one believes the whole "we're all adopted" crap." she said using air quotes. "Are you guys like on the run or something? Like from the law? Are you all like convicts or did you escape from a mental institution?"

"No, I thought you did." Elisabeth said, her anger getting more intense. Who did Vanessa think she was anyway?

"Listen, you better watch your step. Jeff is going to be mine and I'm going to find out the truth about you and your "family". You might as well quit pretending and give up right now. You can't win."

"Oh yeah?" Elisabeth asked. Her anger took over and she drew her fist back. She knocked Vanessa in the nose, which she felt break. She felt blood ooze on her hand and saw Vanessa fall to the ground holding it.

At that moment, the principal came running down the hall and Elisabeth saw Iggy, Max, Caressa, and Colten look at her. They just stared at her. She wanted to run, but she couldn't move. She had actually done something about Vanessa.

Kids were cheering and whooping as Elisabeth was escorted to the office with Vanessa, Max and Iggy following closely behind.

Iggy leaned in and whispered, "What did you do? What happened?"

Elisabeth didn't answer, she just kept walking. She thought that there was…hurt in Iggy's voice, but she couldn't tell. Her hand was throbbing and she knew she was in major trouble.

She could usually control her temper, but this time it got way too out of hand. Vanessa had just pushed her buttons too many times. When she said those things about the flock and everything else, she just lost it. Something inside her snapped and she just hit her.

That's when she knew that today, she was officially apart of the flock. She had stood up for all of them. Not just Iggy, but every last one of them and herself.

They reached the office and Elisabeth felt a rock form in the pit of her stomach. This was it. She was done for.

She was led inside and everyone else followed her.

The principal had gotten Vanessa some paper towels and sent her to the nurse.

As Vanessa walked past Elisabeth she whispered, "I told you. Now you're going to get it."

Elisabeth was led to the principal's office, and after much negotiation, Max and Iggy came in too.

Elisabeth sat down at the chair across from the principal's desk and prepared for the worst.

"Well, why'd you do it…Miss Mullins?" he asked, looking at her file. "It says you're a very good student and that you're very quiet. Now why would someone like that do something like this to another student?"

"She was talking about my family." Elisabeth whispered.

"Oh, I see. Well, we have called Dr. Martinez and she's on her way. When she gets here, we'll bring in Miss Winslow and her father and sort this whole thing out. Now, tell me exactly what happened."

Iggy put his hand on Elisabeth's shoulder and squeezed, to comfort her. She smiled at him, and put her hand on his. She told him the whole story and all he did was nod occasionally.

Soon, Fang, Nudge, and Ella were also brought down to the office, shortly followed by Vanessa, Dr. Martinez, and Mr. Winslow.

Mr. Winslow was a balding man with a mustache. He was about Max's height and he looked really angry.

"What's all this about George?!" Mr. Winslow shouted furiously. "I get a call that my daughter has been punched in the nose and no explanation. I demand that you tell me what happened!"

"Just calm down Ed, calm down. Miss Mullins here said that Vanessa was saying some things about her family, some very nasty things from what she told me."

"Well, she's lying of course." he said.

"Did you just call my daughter a liar?" Dr. Martinez asked, glowering at Mr. Winslow.

"She obviously is one." he said, simply.

"Please, calm down. Now, here is what I have concluded from the evidence-"

Mr. Winslow scoffed. "I'd love to here this."

"Yes, well, now as I was saying. Elisabeth was walking to class with her friends and her siblings when Vanessa pulled her aside. Elisabeth asked her what she wanted and then Vanessa said that her family was weird and some other heinous things. Elisabeth got angry and punched her in the nose. Now, we don't condone this kind of behavior here. The punishment is that both girls will have detention all day this week and after school on Friday."

"Both girls?!" Mr. Winslow shouted. "Why should Vanessa be punished?"

"For provoking Elisabeth. Now, they both could have been suspended, but since this is a first offense for both of them, and seeing how Elisabeth is such a good student, I have decided to be very lenient." He sat down at his desk and folded his hands.

"We'll sue! Do you hear me George Grayson? We'll sue!" With that, he marched out of the office, with Vanessa following him looking appalled.

"You all may go now." Mr. Grayson said, dismissing them.

They all left the office and no one said a word until they got to the school parking lot.

"Well, Elisabeth I'm not going to punish you. I figure that detention is punishment enough. Now, I don't blame you for hitting Vanessa, I would've done it if I was you, but I don't want this to happen again. Understand?" Dr. Martinez said, when they got to the van.

Elisabeth's heart skipped a beat. Dr. Martinez wasn't mad at all, in fact she was smiling. "Ok. Thanks." she said, climbing into the van and sitting next to Iggy.

She looked at her hand, which still had blood on it and was throbbing like crazy.

"Iggy, can you take a look at my hand. I hurt it when I punched Vanessa."

He held it in his hand and ran over it with his fingers. He was very gentle, just like when he kissed her.

"Nothing's broken." he said, letting go. "It's probably just sore."

"I can't believe you hit that girl." Nudge said. "Well, actually I can. I've been hearing you guys complain about her and she seems awful. She reminds me of Kelsey Jameson, this really mean girl in my social studies class, except that Kelsey stays away from me. That's a good thing, cause I don't have to waste my energy fighting her."

"Nudge, I don't think you could waste all of your energy if you tried." Fang said laughing.

"Maybe not." she said shrugging.

The rest of the ride home was pretty quiet. Max was apparently in shock, Iggy and Elisabeth didn't need to talk about what happened anymore, and Fang was just his usual quiet self. Only Nudge and Ella talked.

Elisabeth looked over at Fang who shook his head, slightly smiling, as if to say, "Welcome to the flock sis."

She smiled back and thought, _Glad to be part of it._

**Alrighty then, that was Chapter 26. Turned out to be way longer than I expected. Guess you never know huh? I really wrote this chapter, so we could get rid of Elisabeth and Vanessa's fight over Iggy. I just felt that if I didn't do it soon, there was going to be some confusion in some later chapters where she seems to have dropped of the face of the earth. Vanessa isn't one of the main characters. She was just something for Elisabeth to deal with, kind of like a challenge for her relationship with Iggy. Looks like she passed this challenge. The next chapter is probably going to be another filler, but I don't know yet. We'll see. I hope you're enjoying my fan fiction. I'm know I'm enjoying writing it. Well, like I always say, if you have any ideas let me know. I'll credit you and I'd greatly appreciate it. Updating real soon, I hope. TTFN; Ta-Ta For Now.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Ok, this chapter took me awhile to write. Not because it was too long, but because some of the words didn't come out right. This was a very challenging chapter to write. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but then I had no clue where it was going, if that makes any sense. Well, I think I've confused you enough, so on with the chapter!**

Another school week had come on gone. It was Saturday night and everyone was dying to get out of the house. The reason was obvious; they wanted to stretch their wings. But, according to Jeb, that was impossible, so my mom came up with an alternative; she was taking us out for pizza.

Iggy was happy because it meant he didn't have to cook and could spend the car ride talking to Elisabeth. Well, I hoped that was all they were going to do. I don't think I could stand Nudge and Ella if they did anything else. But, Elisabeth and Iggy were pretty good about keeping it private. I had only caught them making out on the couch once so far and I don't think they wanted a repeat of that awkward experience anymore than I did.

Anyway, back to mom taking us out for pizza. The kids, needless to say, were thrilled.

"Oh boy!" Nudge exclaimed. "I love pizza! Hey Iggy, do you think you could learn how to make pizza? That would be so totally cool! Just, no pepperoni. You know I hate pepperoni. Yuck!"

"Hmm. That's something I might actually try doing one day Nudge." Iggy said, climbing in next to Elisabeth.

"Iggy's famous homemade pizza." Elisabeth giggled. "Your name is going to be up in lights. You'll be bigger than Chef Boyardee."

"Yeah, if people don't mind that the chef is a blind, fourteen year old, mutant." Fang joked.

"Haha Fnick. So funny I forgot to laugh." Iggy said, whacking him upside the head.

"Hey, hey you two." Dr. Martinez laughed. "Don't make me come back there and break it up."

"You won't have to mom, because I'll go back there and break it up for you." I said, threateningly.

Iggy stuck his tongue out at me, but the boys calmed down.

Mom pulled out of the driveway, and we were on our way.

"So where are we going anyway?" Gaz asked. That must have been his favorite question or something. "I know we're going out for pizza, but where?"

"It's just outside town. Trust me, you'll love it." mom said as we turned a corner.

I knew we'd like it. We usually weren't too picky when it came to food or where to get it. It was a miracle when we had food, so if it was edible, we'd eat it.

The ride was unusually quiet. Not even Nudge was talking. The fact that Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth weren't talking didn't surprise me. Fang was usually quiet, Elisabeth was just getting over what she had done to Vanessa, and Iggy was comforting her silently. No kissing, just holding her hand.

Poor Elisabeth. The whole school kept bugging her about punching Vanessa. Some kids cheered as she walked down the halls, some kids treated her pretty bad, and some kids wouldn't stop bugging her unless she gave them a full account of what happened. That is, they did until Iggy, Fang, Chris, and I had something to say about it. After that, there was still some cheering and a whole lot of whispering.

Wait, I was telling you about the car ride. Well, as I was saying, no one was talking. Angel and the Gasman were staring out the windows, and Nudge and Ella were just really staring at nothing in particular.

"Ok, what's up with you guys?" I asked, turning in my seat.

"Nothing." Angel said. "You just seemed a little tired today, so I kinda told everyone to try and be quiet… in my mind."

"Well, that was nice Angel, but it's really okay. I just stayed up late studying. You guys can talk. Really I'm fine."

Fang's eyes met mine. He raised his eyebrow questioningly, but I turned back around. Everyone started talking and I stared out the window, thinking.

The truth was, I hadn't gotten any sleep because I was worried. Things had been pretty weird lately. I hadn't heard from the Voice and the most exciting thing that happened, besides Elisabeth breaking Vanessa's nose, was me walking in on Elisabeth and Iggy. No calls from Jeb, no fights for my life, no crazy Director, no attempted kidnapping, no anything! I probably should have been thrilled and doing a happy dance. But I'm just nutty enough to get more paranoid than usual.

Pretty soon, we stopped in front of an ancient looking pizza place that had probably been around since the fifties or something. The bright, blinking, neon sign said "Pizzeria". That was it. No catchy name. Nothing. Oh well, to me, food is food.

We piled out of the car and walked in. It was really warm inside and smelled like pizza. Duh! There wasn't anything really special about it. It looked like every other pizza place in the world. There was nothing you could say about it. No descriptive words came to mind, except old and warm.

We sat down and my mom got us a few pizzas. The talking ceased as we dug in.

I was handed a slice and I took the first bite. It was so delicious. The cheese was melting in my mouth. I quickly ate the slice and grabbed two more. I was starved. School food and sandwiches just doesn't fill a fourteen-year-old hybrid up. Not this one anyways.

Within five minutes, the three pizzas my mom bought had been devoured and the talking resumed. Instead of joining in, I began thinking again.

_What the heck is going on? I know that they haven't stopped looking for us. They found us, so shouldn't that mean that they'd be swarming all over the town? I knew they weren't bright, but really? Aren't they going to try more kidnapping?_

_But Maximum, I thought you'd be happy. _The Voice was back.

_I'm not. I'm more worried than usual. Them not chasing us just makes me think that they're planning something majorly bad. Call me crazy._

_Max, Max. Enjoy the peace while it lasts._

_Wait. What do you mean 'while it lasts'? Is that supposed to mean something?_

No answer. Typical. The Voice was just about to give me a little information and then it just went away.

I shook my head and felt a strong hand on my shoulder, shaking me.

I looked up and saw Fang looking at me, concerned. He was frowning and I laughed inside, in spite of myself.

"Max, we're leaving. You ok?" he said, so quietly that it sounded like a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired. I told you that." I said standing up, grabbing my jacket.

We walked out the door together and the whole flock was staring at me.

Not wanting to draw attention to my weariness I asked, "Where'd mom and Ella go?"

"They left. Dr. Martinez said we could fly home." Elisabeth said, with that same concerned look her brother had given me five seconds ago. Geez. What was it with those two?

"What about what Jeb said?"

"What about it?" Iggy asked. "Let's go!"

"Hold up." I said before they could take off and potentially expose us. "We'll fly home, but first let's walk until we find a good enough spot so no one will see us take off. Okay?"

I was met by a chorus of groans and a couple okays. I knew they'd thank me one day, so I said nothing.

We started walking down the street, looking for a place to take off. I was feeling pretty nervous. None of us had a phone, and Fang had left the laptop at home. I seriously felt like we were being followed, but maybe I was just being ridiculous. Maybe, I was just being paranoid.

I had almost deluded myself, when Iggy, who has the most sensitive hearing in the world, stopped and put his finger to his lips. The whole flock stopped and strained their ears so they could hear what Iggy could.

"Flyboys. Sounds like…ten of them, I think. Pretty close." he said, making Elisabeth gasp.

"They're after me. Oh this is all my fault. I don't want you guys to get hurt. They just want me. Let them have me. Go. Save yourselves. I'll be ok. I'll be fine. I'm not putting any of you in anymore danger." she said, tears in her eyes.

"No." Iggy said. "I'm not going to let you do that. I won't let them hurt you. If it's you they want, then they'll have to go through all of us."

"Max, tell him to let me do this." Elisabeth pleaded.

The flock looked at me. Time for another decision.

"No." I said. "They're not getting you. They want all of us, but they want you first, so we'll surrender. That's not going to happen. We'll fight."

Elisabeth gave me one final pleading look, but I shook my head. She sighed, defeated.

"How close are they Ig?" I asked him.

He put his finger to his lips again and remained perfectly still. He then turned to me and said, "Pretty close Max."

I was about to ask him how close pretty close was, when I heard them. They were in an alley a few feet from us.

_Party time._

Everything happened too fast. The Flyboys came at us and we attacked. I shot straight in the air and two followed me.

I was about to kick their heads off, when something was thrown up in the air. One of Iggy and Gazzy's bombs.

I dove out of the way just in time.

Three more Flyboys came after me and I was joined by Fang. He handed me a baseball bat.

"Don't ask." he said. "Just swing."

I listened to him and took off the nearest Flyboy's head. It plummeted to earth and I prayed it hadn't fallen on the flock.

"What's going on down there?" I asked Fang, dodging a Flyboy.

"They've got it under control." Fang said. His Flyboy fell too and I found myself hoping, again, that the flock was ok down there.

It wasn't long before we had destroyed every last robot that came our way and all looked clear down below.

We swooped down and landed right in front of the flock. I counted heads. Me, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gaz, and Angel. That was six. Wait, only six? But where was…

Iggy was holding back tears as Angel said, "She's gone Max. They took Elisabeth. She's gone."

**Sorry I left you hanging. Next chapter will be coming soon, hopefully. Keep reading and reviewing and vote in my poll. Later.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Alright, I think I'll post this chapter know. It's the least I can do after making you wait a week for Chapter 27. I left you sitting on the edge of your seat yelling at me for making that last chapter a cliff hanger I believe. Well, I shall make you wait no longer! Here's chapter 28 for you.**

"Alright, status report." I said, sitting down on the sidewalk.

"I'm okay." Angel said, sitting down next to me.

"Black eye. No big deal." Nudge shrugged.

"Couple cuts, couple bruises, but I think I'll live." Gaz said.

Iggy said nothing. I smelled trouble brewing, so I tried to talk to him.

"Ig, you ok?" I asked, concerned.

"Am I ok?" he asked me, angrily. "They just took Elisabeth and you ask me if I'm ok. I'll tell you something Max. I'm not okay! I don't think I've ever been as not okay as I am now! She's gone! They took her! It's all my fault. I hate this!" He punched a brick wall.

"It's not your fault Ig." Fang told him.

"Yes it is! I couldn't help her! I'm freaking blind! I'm useless!" he sobbed. "I don't deserve her. I let her down."

"Don't say that!" Angel said. "You love her, and she loves you. She doesn't care if you're blind and she doesn't think that you're useless. It was my fault she got taken too. It was everyone's fault. But, we're going to get her back and she knows that. She knows we wouldn't just leave her. We're going to go get her. Right Max?"

"Absolutely. We just have to go back to the house first." I said, standing up.

"What? Elisabeth's probably being tortured right now, and you tell me we have to go to the house first!" Iggy said, furiously.

"Ig, we have to tell mom what happened. We have to get some stuff. We'll go after her, I promise."

"That's not good enough! By the time we do all of that she could be dead!"

"Ig…I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me you're sorry! You don't care about her! None of you care! 'Oh, Ig, we're sorry the Flyboys took your girlfriend, but we can't go save her just yet! We have to wait 'till she's dead and then go and collect her body!' None of you wanted her here! None of you give a damn what happens to her. Just as long as it isn't happening to you." Iggy was enraged, but there was nothing I could do. There was no other way.

"Ig, there's nothing we can do right now." Fang said, calmly.

"Oh shut up Fang! Quit pretending to care about her! She's your sister! She's your freaking twin sister and you won't help me! You hate her! You hate anyone that tries and joins the flock! Blood relative or not! I'm sick of you trying to help me! I don't need your help! I'm going to find her on my own!" He turned and unfurled his wings.

"But, Ig you're blind. You can't go by yourself. You don't even know where she is!" I yelled at him.

"I don't care! She's in Jersey! I'm going after her and you can't stop me!" He took off and my world fell apart.

"I'm going after him." Angel said, opening her wings too. "He needs my help Max. I have to help. I'll be fine, but he needs me." And with that, my baby, my Angel, took off after Iggy and I cried.

**Kind of short, I know, but I didn't know what else to do. I hoped you liked that depressing little chapter. Keep reading and reviewing. Check out the poll, and let me know if you have any ideas for later. See you!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Alright, my last chapter was very short and depressing. Sorry about that. I just wanted Iggy to go on this rescue mission alone, but last minute I decided Angel should go with him, so he wouldn't crash. Chapter 29 is back to Max and the others. Enjoy!**

The slightly diminished flock reached the house in a record hour and fifteen minutes. Ella greeted them at the door, happy to see them again. That is, she was, until she saw their faces.

"What happened? Where's Angel, Iggy, and Elisabeth?" Ella asked, letting them inside, panicky.

"We were attacked and they took Elisabeth and Iggy and Angel went after her." Nudge said.

Dr. Martinez came in the living room and said, "I heard. What're you going to do Max?"

"I don't know. Gather supplies and go after them I guess."

"Max." Fang whispered.

Max turned to him and he pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. She took it from him and looked at it. It was Dr. Mullins' number. Of course! Dr. Mullins would probably know what to do. She'd also probably know what they were going to do to Elisabeth.

Fang and Max ran to the kitchen and he grabbed the phone. She gave him the number and he dialed.

It rang three times and she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Mullins? It's me. It's Fang."

"Fang? What is it? What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"They took Elisabeth. A bunch of Flyboys. Iggy and Angel went after her. Ig was torn up and wouldn't listen to anyone and Angel took off to help him." he said, taking a deep breath.

"They took Elisabeth? Fang listen to me. You have to go after them now. I think they're planning to turn Elisabeth full super-computer."

"What?"

"They're going to try to do to her what they failed at years ago. I don't know how much longer she's got. It could be weeks, days, maybe a couple of hours. They could use her to destroy the world. If they made her full super-computer, all of her emotions and her personality would be gone. She'd be no different from a Flyboy, just a million times smarter. Whatever you do, do not let this happen. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you."

"Fang, go get your sister. Bring back my…daughter."

"Your…"

"I should've told you. There's no time to explain, now. Get her. When you come back, I'll be at the house waiting to explain everything. I promise. Just go. Get her back."

Dr. Mullins hung up and Fang turned to Max, horror-stricken. He put the phone back on the charger and kept staring at Max, lost for words.

_Her daughter. Elisabeth's my sister. She's my mother. My mom._

"Well, what did she say Fang?" Max asked, looking at him. "What's going to happen?"

Fang swallowed and said, "Uh…she said that we have to go get Elisabeth now. She said they're going to try to make her full super-computer. They're going to use her to destroy the world if we don't get her."

"Destroy the world? Did she say anything else?"

"Yeah, she did."

"What? Tell me Fang. This is life and death."

"She's my mom." he whispered.

"What?"

"Dr. Mullins is my mom. She told me to bring back her daughter and that she'd explain when we got back. She's my mom Max. Mine and Elisabeth's. We have to go."

"Oh my God, Fang. Well, let's get going." Max said, running into the living room.

Fang just stood there. Nothing in his life made sense anymore. It was like it was all a dream or a joke.

"Fang, come on!" Max shouted from the living room.

Fang ran after her and went outside with the rest of the flock.

They took off and Fang thought, _If this is all a joke, it's not funny._

**Shocking, isn't it? Read and review. Check out the poll. Any ideas, let me know. Bye.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Alright, in this chapter we are going to go to Elisabeth. As Iggy said, they have taken her to the School in New Jersey. Kind of obvious. Well, let's get on with this interesting chapter then.**

Elisabeth came into consciousness. She was all alone and strapped down. Before she opened her eyes, an antiseptic like smell hit her nose. It all came back to her. One minute, she had been fighting with Iggy and the next minute she had been knocked out.

She opened her eyes to a blinding light. Definitely the school. Everything was chrome and white and shiny and clean. Spotlessly clean. If she wasn't mistaken, she was in the surgery room. Great. The last time she was in here…well, you know.

_What am I doing in here? _She wondered.

As if in answer to her question, the door opened and a blonde woman walked in. She was smiling menacingly. It was the Director.

"Well, Elisabeth. I see you decided to wake up. How are you?"

"Bite me." Elisabeth replied using one of Iggy's favorite comebacks.

"Well, it seems someone has been spending a little too much time with Maximum. Her attitude seems to have rubbed off on you."

"Damn right." Elisabeth said in a very Max-like tone.

"You also seem to have picked up her vocabulary." The Director smirked.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm here, or do I have to get up and beat it out of you?" Elisabeth asked. She was starting to scare herself. She sounded so much like Max.

_Can't let them see your fear. Do what Max would do._

"Relax. I have nothing to hide." the Director said, calmly. "You're here because I'm going to make you full super-computer. You're a danger to me the way you are. With your human emotions. I can't have you ruining my carefully laid plans."

Elisabeth laughed. "Listen lady, Max and the others are coming to get me. They'll stop you."

This time the Director laughed. "No, I don't think the flock will be coming to your rescue."

"What did you do with them?!" Elisabeth screamed. "If you hurt them, I swear to God! I'll kill you!" Tears burned in her eyes. She knew it. It was all her fault.

"Calm down. I haven't done anything to them yet. In fact, they aren't even here. After you were kidnapped, they returned home. I don't think they're coming for you. In fact, I think they hate you. I think they despise you."

"You're a liar!" Elisabeth shouted. She was starting to lose her voice, but she didn't care. "Iggy loves me. They're coming to get me. They're going to take you down."

The Director laughed again. "He doesn't love you. The whole flock hates you. They're the ones who lied to you. I've told you the complete truth."

"No." Elisabeth whispered.

It just couldn't be. The Director was obviously lying to her. But, then again, was she? No. Elisabeth refused to believe it. But she wouldn't let the Director know. She'd just try to make her feel worse. Best not to say anything.

"There, there. Don't feel too upset. Soon, you'll be full super-computer. It'll be better. No more emotions, no more pain. No more heart break. No more tears. In two days, everything will stop. I promise." And the she left Elisabeth alone.

_Come on Iggy. Come get me. Two days. That's all I've got. Please don't let that foul woman be right. Please let her be wrong. Please love me. Please tell me it's not all a lie. Please tell me that I won't be full super-computer. I don't want to destroy the world. I don't want to be her puppet. I don't want to hurt you or the flock or anyone else. I love you Iggy. Tell me you love me too. Come get me. Please come get me. Please…_

She drifted off into a very restless sleep. She didn't have a dream. Not really. She just saw flashes of Iggy from her memory. Him kissing her, him laughing, him holding her.

Little did she know that Iggy really was on his way and that he wouldn't stop until he rescued her. Plan or no plan. Flock or no flock. He'd be with her again. Soon. He promised nothing would happen to her and when he made a promise, he kept it, no matter what. Even if he had to die, she'd be fine.

**Short. Little depressing. Sheesh, I need to try and get a funny chapter up soon. It might be the next one, but probably not. Elisabeth's rescue is coming soon. Keep reading and reviewing. Check out my poll. Tell your friends. If you have any ideas let me know. I'll credit you. I need some more reviews. Please. I'll cry. Don't make me cry. Later.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Alright, time for another chapter. This time, we are with Iggy and Angel. Still very depressing. Hopefully, after Elisabeth gets rescued, I'll have a funny chapter. But until then you are stuck with depressing stuff like this. On with the story.**

Iggy and Angel had landed in a cave for the night. Iggy could have kept going all night, but Angel needed rest. He vowed not to sleep, not until Elisabeth was safe and they were home anyway.

He sat alone, listening to Angel munch on a bag of chips. Dr. Martinez had given them all ten dollars apiece in case they ever got in any trouble. Iggy and Angel had stopped at a store and picked up a few things.

_Hey Ig. _Angel thought. _Have you come up with a plan yet?_

_No. I just want to get there first. It shouldn't be much longer now, I can feel it. We're close. _

_I know. Well, I'm gonna take first watch. You try to get some sleep ok? I kinda lied when I said I was tired. I could tell you were, but you were gonna keep going 'till we got there. You need rest. So, go to sleep, or at least lay down._

Angel got up and walked to the entrance of the cave. "Lay down." she told Iggy.

He sighed and did as she told him, but he knew he'd be up all night. How could he sleep when Elisabeth was in trouble? How could he rest while she was being tortured? He couldn't. He couldn't do anything but close his eyes and think about her.

He could smell her hair. The intoxicating aroma of coconut shampoo made him ache for her. He could hear her laughter fill his head. Nothing sounded sweeter, except her voice when she told him she loved him. How he missed her calm, joyful voice. How he missed her heart warming laughter. He could picture her lips. Soft, delicate, perfect. He could feel them on his, kissing him gently. He ached more.

He knew Angel could hear his thoughts, but he didn't care. He knew she knew more than everyone thought she did. He longed to hold Elisabeth again, to tell her he was sorry for ever letting her go, even though he hadn't meant to. The pain was burning him up. He knew Angel knew that and so much more.

_You're right. _Angel told him. _I do know more than anyone thinks. I know how you two really feel about each other. You're deeply in love. The kind of love in fairy tales and movies. True love. The kind that people don't think exists. But it does. You just have to look hard for it. You found it Ig. You both did. _

Iggy continued to think about her. He couldn't help it. Angel was right; he loved her so much. He'd die for her. He knew it might come to that. He knew, one day, it would come to that. He'd have to choose: Death or a life without her.

_Ig, stop being so dramatic. No one is going to die, except maybe some whitecoats. We'll get her back, safe and sound._

Angel was right. Everything would be fine.

He tried not to think about Elisabeth because every time he did, misery and hate enveloped him. But, no matter how hard he tried, she just kept coming back to him.

The smell of her hair after she had just taken a shower, the sound of her voice whispering in his ear, the sound of her laughter whenever he said something funny, the feel of her soft lips, the feel of her beautiful wings.

Then these thoughts would lead to the first time he kissed her. The happiness that had swelled up inside him, the sound of her crying, his heart breaking, her telling him to just leave her alone, the sadness and hurt and confusion in her voice. He had made her feel those things.

But then would think about how she banged on his door, how she shoved herself on him, how she kissed him fiercely, how happy he was. How happy they both were.

He smiled at the thought of their midnight swim. Her hand touching his bare chest, making him weak. Her wet, tangled hair in his fingers. The sound of her breathing deeply.

How he just wanted to hold her again and never let her go. He just wanted to kiss her and tell her everything was okay and that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her. He wanted to…

_Iggy! If Max heard you thinking that, she'd murder you! Gross! I'm only six! Don't think about that please. Not while I'm here._

Oops. He had let his feelings go. He hadn't meant to think that with Angel around. He had to be more careful about his emotions, but he knew he couldn't help the way he felt.

He started thinking about her, alone, trapped. He could feel her being tortured. How? He didn't know, but he could feel that she was in a great deal of pain. He wanted to kill the whitecoats for putting her through so much pain.

_If they lay a hand on her, I'll kill them. If they hurt her, they'll be sorry._

Iggy could feel his anger, boiling inside him. He had to calm down. Maybe he should get some sleep. Maybe that's why he was going crazy.

_I'm coming Elisabeth. As soon as I wake up. I'll be there and I'll have a plan. They won't hurt you. I promise. I promise…_

**Alrighty then. Very depressing and sort of short. The next chapter will probably be Elisabeth's rescue. That or we'll go to Max and the others. Sorry to have to do this guys, but I need more reviews. Let's say five before I'll post the next chapter ok? I think that's reasonable. Whenever you guys don't review, it makes me think you don't like it. So please, read, review, check out the poll, tell your friends, and give me any ideas you have. I promise I'll credit. Five reviews before the next chapter. See you.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thanks for the reviews everyone! I loved them! I'm glad you like the story. Anyway, some people have asked me to write a Fax chapter and I tried to put some in this chapter. It didn't work, so I just switched to the rescue. I'll try to do another Fax chapter later, but I don't know when. Just thought I'd let you know that I really did try. Well, you're probably getting anxious, so I'll get on with the rescue.**

It was doomsday for Elisabeth; the day she was going to be full super-computer. Her time had run out. Iggy and the others hadn't come for her. She was alone.

The Director had reminded her earlier that day. "Hmm, I see you're still here. They didn't come for you. I told you they wouldn't. Well, you won't be upset for too long. Just a few more hours. Then you'll belong to me." she said, laughing maniacally.

There was no hope for her now. The Director was right; they didn't care about her. Not even Iggy. Everything he ever told her was a lie. A big, fat lie that she stupidly believed. She was so happy when she realized he loved her, that she was blinded.

_Blind. Just like Iggy. _

She could see his beautiful, blue, sightless, happy eyes. They were always filled with mischief and laughter. Childlike. Sparkling.

She began to think of him. He might not have really loved her, but she had really loved him. With all of her heart.

The first time he kissed her, she was so confused. She couldn't remember why, but she wanted him to leave her alone and when he did, she started crying. She then realized that he loved her, or she thought he did, so she went after him. She kissed him hard and when he began to kiss her back, she kissed him more gently, savoring every minute of it.

She was so deeply in love with him, that she couldn't see that it was all just an act. She let her emotions get in the way of her judgment. She should have listened to the logical part of her mind. She knew she was going to get hurt.

Maybe it would be better when she was made full super-computer. She would have no more emotions. She'd never be sad, upset, heart broken, or scared again. Of course, she'd also never be happy, in love, excited, or cheerful either.

Maybe it was possible that Iggy was coming for her. Maybe he was just delayed. Maybe he'd been trying to get to her all this time.

She thought of him again. She could see his image in her mind. He was so tall, a little less than a foot taller than she was. She saw him smiling and laughing. His smile always made her melt. He had a twinkle in his eyes. His strong arms. Those arms had held her, cradled her, and kept her safe.

How could she doubt him? But then, why hadn't he come? Why was she still trapped in this hellhole?

_He loves me. I know he does. Something's just happened. How do I know the Director didn't lie to me when she said she hadn't done anything to them? Maybe he's…dead. No. Please no. Not that._

The door swung open at that moment. The Director came in, flashing a fake smile. Elisabeth wanted nothing more than to strangle her, but she was too weak to even try to break loose. She was too weak to even talk. They hadn't fed her anything. They just kept her strapped to that bed.

"Well, it's time. I promise it won't hurt… for very long." She laughed and then snapped her fingers.

One of the guys in the silver truck that had followed Iggy, Elisabeth, and Angel the day she discovered her new ability came into the room. That day seemed like years ago.

It was the blonde one and he was wearing a surgical mask. He smiled menacingly and walked over to her bed. He grabbed the head and pushed her out the door.

They went to the elevator and went down a few floors.

She was wheeled into a room that looked very much like the one she had previously been in except it had several fancy machines, beeping and blinking.

"Experiment E-1." a whitecoat muttered. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time now. Do you remember me?"

Elisabeth thought she'd seen him somewhere before, but she wasn't sure where. She shook her head and he laughed.

"I was the one who suggested this punishment when you tried to escape. You won't be escaping this time."

Another whitecoat, an older looking man, said, "You've given us a whole hell of a lot of trouble. More trouble than your little friends. After this procedure, we won't have to worry about any of you ruining our plans ever again. You'll be under our control and we'll order you to destroy the others."

"Enough talk!" the Director shouted, causing some people to jump. "Get on with it! I'll be in my office. If anything goes wrong, I'm holding you personally responsible." she said, pointing at the whitecoat that had first spoken to Elisabeth. "This was, as you said, your suggestion Dr. Andrews."

"Yes Director." the whitecoat, Andrews, said. "Nothing will go wrong."

The Director left and Andrews advanced on Elisabeth.

"Let me explain how this works. We take some blood and then we make a small incision in the side of your head and begin operating. No anesthetics."

She could smell his horrible breath. It made her want to throw up. It kind of smelled like the Gasman after he had one of his little…accidents.

"Someone needs to brush their teeth." she managed to say.

Andrews growled and slapped her. She winced, but didn't let a single tear fall. She was going to be brave. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing that in her last moments they had made her cry and beg for mercy.

_I'm never going to see Iggy again. The next time I do, I won't be myself and they'll make me kill him. I'll never be with him again. Never._

"Stacy hand me the needle." Andrews said.

A dark haired woman handed him a huge needle. She was smirking. She was happy to see Elisabeth like this. They all were. She was defenseless and broken and they knew it.

Andrews grabbed her arm and shoved the needle in a vain. It hurt, but no more than a little, less than the slap.

It was a matter of minutes before the syringe was filled with her deep ruby red blood.

"Take this to the lab." Andrews told Stacy.

She nodded and took the syringe. She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"As soon as she comes back, we'll begin operating." Andrews said.

The other whitecoat, the older one who said she was trouble, walked closer to her. He put his hand on her cheek where Andrews had slapped her.

"It's a shame such a pretty girl like you has to be hurt. Such a pretty face doesn't deserve to be hurt."

The guy was creeping her out. She shuddered in disgust and said, "Sorry, I already have a boyfriend."

He pulled back and said, "How dare you. Filthy creature."

Soon, Stacy came back and handed Andrews a folder.

"Hmm. This deserves to be read out loud." he said, clearing his throat. "Experiment E-1. Parents: Unknown. Sibling: 1 twin. Experiment F-6848954. Separated after first year. Thought to be dangerous when brought together. Proved untrue. Abilities programmed: Super Sonic Scream. Abilities not programmed: Super-computer. Other abilities: Unknown. Animal DNA: 2% Snowy owl. Height: 5'7. Weight: 90 lbs. Wing-span: 12 feet. Other info-"

"Let's just get on with it!" the old whitecoat shouted, interrupting Andrews. "I can't wait anymore and I don't think the rest of you can either."

Andrews shook his head and said, "You're right, we'll look over the rest of this after the operation."

He grabbed the drill and turned it on. The whirring was deafening. He brought it close to Elisabeth.

"Say goodnight." he whispered.

Elisabeth closed her eyes. The sound of the whirring got closer and closer until…BOOM!

There was an explosion. Elisabeth opened her eyes a crack. There was a huge hole in the wall and all of the four whitecoats were knocked out. As the dust cleared, Elisabeth could make out two familiar figures coming towards her.

"Are you sure we're in the right room?" The voice was a guy.

"Pretty sure. She's over there, in front of us, strapped to a metal table like thing." The second voice was a girl.

"Iggy? Angel?" Elisabeth asked.

Iggy kneeled beside her bed and began cutting the straps. She was so happy to see him.

"How did you guys find me?" she asked.

"No time to explain." Iggy whispered, still cutting her loose.

In a few seconds she was free and the whitecoats started to stir.

"Let's get out of here." Angel said. "We're on the second floor. If I remember the blueprints Jeb showed us when we were planning to break Elisabeth out the first time, there should be a fire escape somewhere out in that hall."

Elisabeth nodded and said, "Just make a left."

They ran out the door and made a left. There was a huge red door marked "Fire Escape: Emergency Use Only".

"I'd say we have an emergency." Iggy said. "They're coming. Loads of them Heard the explosion." He wrenched open the door.

They were outside, on a rail, the whitecoats on their tail.

"We're gonna have to fly." Angel said.

They jumped and snapped out their wings. Elisabeth turned and saw about a dozen whitecoats beneath them and behind them, trying to get them. She shook her head and silently laughed.

"Iggy, we have to get the stuff." Angel said, when they got to the edge of the grounds.

Iggy nodded and Angel swooped down, grabbing a plastic bag full of chips and snack cakes.

Elisabeth looked at Iggy. His face was like stone. Anger was etched all over. She looked at his powerful, beautiful golden wings, beating in rhythm with hers.

She was free. She was with Iggy again. She was safe. They were going home.

**Still pretty depressing, but a little better I guess. Thanks again for all the reviews. You all really made me feel better. I'll have another chapter up ASAP. Keep reading, reviewing, checking out the poll, and telling all of your friends. Thanks again.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Alright, we have another chapter with Iggy, Elisabeth, and Angel. This is a really sweet, little depressing, sort of funny, downright amazing chapter, or I hope it is anyway. I want to take the time to say a little something to my reviewers out there. I appreciate you all so much. It makes me feel really good when you tell me I deserve more recognition than I get. I use spell-check and try to use correct grammar so you guys can understand what I'm trying to say. I know sometimes my chapters are short and that in fight scenes there isn't a lot of detail and I just really appreciate you guys for being understanding and praising me for my correct spelling and good grammar. You guys rock. I wish I could thank you all individually, but I need to get on with the chapter. You know who you are and I just want to thank all of you again. This one goes out to all of you guys! **

It was nighttime and Iggy, Elisabeth, and Angel had stopped in a forest somewhere in Kentucky. Or, at least they thought it was in Kentucky.

The whole flight, Iggy hadn't said one word. Elisabeth was worried about him, but Angel told her that he was just really upset, so she didn't say anything to him. She wanted to talk to him so badly though. She wanted to help him. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to…

_Not you too. You people forget I'm six and can read minds. Dirty thoughts. That's what you teenagers have: dirty thoughts._

_No, we don't Angel. When people are actually in love they think about those things. Sorry I grossed you out. I'll try to keep my thoughts PG when you're around ok._

_Okay. Go over and talk to Iggy. He needs you. It's really quiet and I'm tired of talking to both of you in my mind. You need to talk._

Elisabeth sighed and looked over at Iggy's figure. The glow of the fire that he had made reflected in his eyes and made them seem brighter somehow. She knew Angel was right. They had to talk to each other. It couldn't go on like this.

She got up and walked over to Iggy. He was obviously thinking, because he hadn't heard her walk up.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

He raised his head and shook it, so Elisabeth sat down on the ground next to him. She took a deep breath and began talking.

"Iggy, I need to talk to you. Back at the School, well, the Director told me you wouldn't come for me. She said you'd all been lying to me and, for a split second, I believed her. I didn't think you'd come. I thought…I thought you hated me."

Iggy took her face in his hands and said, "I could never hate you. I'm sorry I was late, but you have to let me explain." He let go of her and waited for her reply.

"Okay. Tell me what happened."

"After they took you, I tried to get Max and Fang to go after you. Max said we had to get some stuff first. I had a huge fight with them; I wanted to rescue you sooner. I took off and Angel followed. I was going to keep flying until I got to you, but halfway there, Angel needed a rest. We stopped and spent the night in a cave. The next day, we took off again and made it to the School. Angel thought it would be a good idea for her to listen to some of the whitecoats thoughts, because I had no plan. We found out they were going to do and came up with our plan. We were going to wait until the scheduled time for your operation and then blow the whole place up and get you out. The bomb wouldn't work, so while I fixed it, Angel played a little mind puppet to stall."

_The file and the blood?_

_You got it. _

"I'm so sorry. I never meant it to take so long. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt."

"They did hurt me Ig. They told me when they made me full super-computer, they were going to make me kill you. One of the whitecoats slapped me and then jabbed that needle in my arm and another one…tried to hit on me. He was old and creepy." She shuddered.

Iggy looked furious. "What did you tell him?"

"That I already had a boyfriend." He cracked a smile at that.

"Boyfriend? I kind of thought it was a little more serious than that." He said, still smiling.

"I guess it is." She smiled back at him. Things were back to normal between them, except…

"Ig, the whole way here you didn't say two words to me. Why?" she asked.

He laughed and said, "I honestly can't remember."

She started laughing too, but she soon stopped. "Ig I need to apologize to you."

"What for?" he asked her.

"For doubting you. I should have realized you'd come. I guess I was just so scared."

"That's okay." he replied. "Is Angel asleep?" he asked.

Elisabeth looked over at Angel. She was indeed sleeping, so Elisabeth told Iggy she was.

"Good." he said, leaning in close to her. He tucked her hair behind her ears, put her chin in his hand, stroked her cheek with his thumb, and then kissed her on the lips.

She shivered and then wrapped her arms around him. He was really warm. She never wanted to stop kissing him, but he pulled away from her.

"What is it Ig?" she asked, breathlessly.

He responded by pulling of his sweatshirt. "Here, take it. You're freezing."

"But Ig, you need it."

"Not more than you."

"Ig-"

"Don't argue with me. Take it."

She took it from him and put it on. It was really warm inside. It smelled like him. She could identify the smell of gunpowder, but that was it. It just smelled like him to her. Nothing else. She breathed in the smell for a minute and then said, "Well, I hope you're happy. You're going to freeze."

"No I won't." he said smiling.

"And why not?"

"Because you'll keep me warm." he said, smiling slyly.

She rolled her eyes and, laughing, crawled into his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her middle and hugged her tightly.

She laid back, resting her head on his shoulder.

He kissed her on the cheek and then buried his face in her hair. He breathed deeply, sucking in the intoxicating smell. The aroma of her coconut shampoo was faint, but still there.

"What're you doing?" she asked, chuckling.

"Just remembering."

"Remembering what?" she asked curiously.

He shook his head and said, "Everything. Every moment I spent with you or spent thinking about you."

They sat in silence, just listening to the sounds of nature; owls hooting, crickets chirping, and the wind whistling through the trees.

They sat and Elisabeth stared into the fire, while Iggy kept his head facing down, in the direction of her head. He put his chin on the top of her head and they continued to sit in silence. They had gotten so close that they didn't need to talk, as long as they were together.

"Hey Ig, can I ask you something?" Elisabeth asked, breaking the silence.

"Anything." he replied.

"What's it like, being blind?"

The silence fell again.

"You know what. Never mind…just forget…I'm sorry." she said.

He sighed and said, "No it's okay. I understand. I was just thinking how to explain it."

There was another silence and then he said, "When I dream, I can see, 'cause it's in my head. Sometimes when I wake up, I expect to see sunlight streaming in and either Max or Fang yelling at me to get up. But when I open my eyes, there's nothing. Just darkness."

He paused again and then said, "And the worst part is, I can't tell the most perfect girl in the world she's beautiful because I have no clue what she looks like."

"Oh Ig. You should know me better than that by now. I'm not perfect. I'm the farthest thing from perfect. I don't need you to tell me I'm beautiful everyday. I'm not shallow. I'm not Vanessa. I know that if you could see me, you'd think I was beautiful, even though I'm not."

Iggy opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped.

"What is it?" she asked, thinking her heard a Flyboy, or worse.

"I could see you. It was for like thirty seconds in my head. Elisabeth, never say you aren't beautiful because you are."

"Wait, how did…Angel." she said looking over at the little six year old. "Ig, Angel gave you a mental picture of me."

"I know." he said. "I know." He had tears in his eyes.

They had fallen silent again. It was peaceful out there and they didn't want to ruin it by talking too much. Just sitting and enjoying each other's company was enough.

Iggy was stroking Elisabeth's hair, when he remembered something. He had wanted to ask her if she wanted him to keep watch all night so she could rest. He figured she hadn't had much sleep during her stay at the School.

"Elisabeth." he whispered.

He heard her breathing heavily. She had fallen asleep. That meant he was definitely going to keep watch all night. He couldn't just wake her up. That was fine with him. He was comfortable the way he was, with her in his arms safe and sound.

"I love you." he whispered and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Always."

**Okay, that's the end of yet another chapter. I hope you liked it. Keep reading and reviewing. In two weeks, I'm closing my poll. Vote now. Thanks again for all of those lovely supportive reviews. I appreciate them. Updating soon.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey guys! Time for another update. I know it's been a long time, but I'm back! School has been kicking my butt; I've had lots of homework. Well, let me just get on with this chapter. **

Elisabeth cracked open her eyes. The light was too bright and she couldn't see anything.

"Finally decided to wake up huh?" Iggy's voice asked. She could sense he was nearby. She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and stretched.

As everything came into focus, she realized that she was still in Iggy's arms. She must have been there all night. He was so sweet, letting her sleep, not moving. He had to be feeling pretty sore though. Her wings hurt and she only slept in his arms. He had been holding her.

"Shut up." she mumbled sleepily.

"You talk in your sleep." he said, smiling.

"I do not!" she shouted, sitting up straighter.

"Do too. I don't think you do it all of the time. Only when you're upset. You kept apologizing to me."

"I did?"

"Yeah." he whispered. He then kissed her on the cheek. "And I kept telling you that you didn't have to. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Want breakfast?"

She nodded and then, slowly, stood up. She then walked over to Angel's sleeping figure and shook her.

Angel shot up in surprise, but calmed when she saw Elisabeth. "Morning." she yawned.

"Morning Angel. Did you have a good sleep?"

Angel nodded and then said, "I guess you had a nice one too." She was smiling mischievously.

Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "You hungry?"

"Yeah. Is Iggy getting something?" she asked.

Just then, Iggy walked over to them. He had five granola bars and a bottle of water. He passed them out; two granola bars apiece for Elisabeth and Angel and one for himself.

"That's all that's left. When we get closer to home, we'll stop somewhere and get more food."

"Sounds good to me." Elisabeth said, finishing her food.

"I wonder what Max and the others are doing." Angel sighed.

"Well, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll find out." Iggy said, standing up.

Angel and Elisabeth stood up too and they took off together.

They flew for several hours until they reached the eastern part of Texas. Angel was running on empty, so Iggy decided to land a few feet from a gas station in the middle of nowhere.

"We walk from here." he said as they landed.

"Good idea. It's too dangerous to just fly up to the gas station." Elisabeth said and they started walking.

They reached their destination in fifteen minutes. The gas station looked a little run down and it was absolutely empty except for the guy at the counter.

Iggy opened the door and they walked inside. Iggy went to get some food, Angel went to the bathroom, and Elisabeth went over to the counter to see if she could find a useful map.

The guy at the counter looked about her age. He had sandy blonde hair and brown eyes. He was smiling at her and it was starting to irritate her.

She was just about to ask him what his problem was, when he said, "I don't think I've ever seen you around here. You passing through?" She nodded and then he said, "My name's Josh Wyatt. What's yours?"

"None of your business." she said, aggravated.

"Ooh, you have a major attitude." He leaned over the counter, causing his face to be uncomfortably close to hers. "I like 'em feisty." he breathed.

"Not interested." she said in a bored tone.

"My dad owns this place. The town's not far from here. You doing anything tonight?" This kid was getting on her nerves.

"Actually I am." she said, getting really annoyed.

"Well if you change your mind, I'll be here all day." He was still leaning over the counter.

"Not gonna happen." she said and walked over to Iggy. She laid her hand on his shoulder and he immediately knew something was wrong.

"What's going on?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to tell him, but Josh chose that moment to shout, "You know, you have a great ass."

In the next second, Iggy had stormed over to the counter, grabbed him by the neck of his shirt, and had lifted him off the ground.

"Iggy!" Elisabeth yelled.

"Apologize!" Iggy shouted at Josh.

"I'm sorry. God." Josh said. He looked frightened; like he was about to wet his pants.

Elisabeth was torn between helping Iggy beat the crap out of him or stopping Iggy, before Josh called the police.

"Not to me, to her." Iggy was furious.

"Iggy!" Elisabeth shouted again. "Just forget him." She decided to spare the loser the embarrassment of being beaten up by a blind guy, a girl, and, possibly, a six-year-old. It wouldn't be a pleasant story to tell his friends, if he had any that is.

"But he said-"

"I know what he said, but it doesn't matter. He's a loser. It's not worth you getting in trouble." She just wanted to get the heck out of there.

Iggy dropped Josh and he fell on the ground. Josh jumped up and said, "Whatever you want is free. Just get it and get out." He was obviously very scared.

_Serves him right. _Elisabeth thought.

Iggy grabbed some food and then Angel came out of the bathroom.

"What happened? I heard yelling." Angel asked Elisabeth as they walked outside.

"Nothing happened. That guy at the counter was just being a jerk." Elisabeth said, as they walked away.

"Iggy's mad isn't he?" Angel asked. Elisabeth nodded and then Angel said, "I read that guy's mind. He was staring at your chest and thinking nasty things."

"He's got a twisted mind." Elisabeth said.

"Yeah, he does. You know, if it wasn't for you, Iggy might've killed him." Angel said, horrified.

Elisabeth gulped and said, "I know."

Iggy would've murdered Josh. They would've been in major trouble. The cops would've come if Elisabeth hadn't stepped in and she really wasn't in the mood to deal with Iggy potentially getting arrested. What would Max have said?

Elisabeth turned around and noticed that the gas station was no longer in sight. Just a few more feet and they could take off into the air and forget about that pervert, Josh.

"Max would've understood." Angel said, then she broke out into a smile. "Speaking of Max, she's coming this way. The others are too. They're walking just like we are." Angel said.

Iggy stopped for a second and then said, "She's right. I can hear them. They're a little farther ahead."

They ran and ran until they caught up with the others.

There they all were; Max, Fang, Nudge, and Gaz. Just like the last time Elisabeth saw them, well sort of.

They looked horrible; dirty and blood-stained, but no one cared. It was a very emotional reunion.

"Iggy!" Gazzy shouted, running to hug Iggy.

"Gazzy!" Iggy said, giving the Gasman a noogie.

"Max! Nudge!" Angel said, running to Max.

"Hey guys." Elisabeth said, holding back. She felt sort of out of place in this little cry-fest.

"I see you're okay." Fang said, trying not to smile. He too seemed out of place, but still very grateful that everyone was together again.

"Of course I am. I am your sister after all." she said, laughing.

Fang shook his head and turned to Iggy. "We're sorry Ig. We should've gone with you. We were stupid. Of course we knew you'd want to go after her right then. We're sorry."

"It's okay." Iggy said shrugging.

"We would've come sooner, but an hour after we left the house, we were attacked by a bunch of Flyboys. Nudge broke her nose, but other than that we made it. We needed a place to rest, so I got us a hotel room. We over slept and then Gazzy wanted breakfast, so here we are." Max said.

"What happened to you guys? You look terrible." Gaz said.

"You don't look so hot yourself." Ig retorted.

"Well, I almost got a hole drilled in my head, Iggy blew up a wall and saved me before they could do anything, we slept in the woods, we ran out of food, and stopped here on the way home." Elisabeth said.

"Is that all?" Max asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

Angel nodded and Max seemed to accept that as the truth.

"Come on guys." Fang said. "We need to get back to Arizona pronto."

"Why?" Iggy asked.

"You'll see when we get there." Fang said.

Elisabeth looked at Fang who just shrugged. Clearly he wasn't going to tell anyone what was up.

They all opened their wings and took off; a full flock again.

**That's all for now guys. Read, review, and vote in the poll. I'll be closing it soon. Next chapter will be up sometime next week. Bye.**


	35. Chapter 35

**I promised I'd update soon. I couldn't wait to get this chapter up. So, without further ado… Chapter 35!**

They reached the house by nightfall. Fang still hadn't informed anyone of the reason he was in a rush to get back home, although Elisabeth was sure Max knew. Max kept staring at Fang, her eyes full of concern.

Elisabeth thought something had to be wrong. Why else would they hide the truth? It just didn't make any sense.

As they stepped on the porch, Fang peered inside the window before he knocked. There was the sound of footsteps thundering down the stairs, the hall light turned on, the door swung open, and Dr. Martinez, crying, pulled Max close.

"Oh thank goodness you found them. I'm so happy you're all home safe. I was so worried." No one had seen Dr. Martinez like this before. Her hair was matted and her eyes were red and puffy. It looked like she was sick, but Elisabeth knew she had been crying her eyes out since Max left.

She ushered them inside, blowing her nose, and shut the door, quietly. "What happened?" she asked.

Elisabeth opened her mouth to explain, but Fang held up his hand, silencing her. "We'll discuss that later, but first…" He gave her a look.

"Oh, yes. I understand. In the living room. She's waiting there." Dr. Martinez said, leading them inside.

The house was warm and Elisabeth couldn't wait to curl up under her nice warm covers and go to sleep. But something occurred to her just then; Dr. Martinez said something about someone waiting for them in the living room. But who?

She was just about to ask, when she saw Dr. Mullins sitting on the beat up old couch. She looked exceptionally tired, like she had been sitting there, awake, since the rest of the flock left.

She smiled warmly at all of them. "Elisabeth. Fang. Everyone."

Everyone took a seat. They were all curious about what was going on; Fang looked the most impatient.

_What's going on? _Elisabeth wondered.

_I don't know. _Angel replied. _I can't get anything out of them._

"I'm sure Fang told you why I needed to talk to you." Dr. Mullins began.

"Actually, I haven't told them." Fang said. "Max knows, but that's all."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before Dr. Mullins sighed and said, "Well, I don't know how to explain this. I guess the best thing is just to come out with it."

"Come out with what?" Elisabeth asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm your mother." she whispered.

The atmosphere changed abruptly. Everyone was silent, but it was an unnatural silence. Elisabeth started to shake and Iggy, instinctively, held her to him.

Her mother? How was that even possible? How could that be? When she was younger, Elisabeth always wished that Dr. Mullins was her mother, but now the idea just seemed ridiculous. If she was her mother, she would have told her. Or would she have?

"Elisabeth?" Iggy whispered in her ear. "You alright?"

Elisabeth nodded slowly and then whispered, "How?"

"I suppose I owe you a better explanation." Dr. Mullins sighed. "Where to begin? Let me tell you a little about my life. I grew up in a nice family. We were well off. I had an older brother and a younger sister. My two favorite people in the world were my grandmother, Elisabeth, and my Uncle Phil. When I was seventeen, I ran off with my boyfriend, Jon Walker. Of course my parents were furious. They didn't approve. Only Uncle Phil and my sister, Julia, knew the whole story. Not long after, I got pregnant. I remember the trip to the hospital as if it were yesterday."

_~Flashback~_

_It was night in the middle of summer. She woke up, her stomach hurting her. She knew what that meant._

"_Jon." She shook the man next to her. Her husband stirred, but wouldn't wake. She shook him again, harder. _

"_What?" he asked, sleepily._

"_It's time Jon." she whispered urgently._

"_Time for what?"_

"_Our special deliveries." _

"_Oh shit." He hopped up out of bed and grabbed her suitcase. "Put on your coat and meet me by the door. I'll take this to the car." He then ran out of their bedroom door._

_Despite what was happening, she was unusually calm and relaxed. She grabbed her coat, put on her shoes and headed to the door. Jon helped her down the stairs and into the car. _

"_I called Phil and Julia." he told her. "They're on there way to the hospital." He backed down the driveway and drove to the hospital. _

_They were halfway there when it happened. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "I hate you Jon!" she shouted._

"_What'd I do?" he demanded, his temper getting the better of him._

"_You did this to me! This horrible mess I'm in is your fault!" _

"_I'll fix it." he told her._

_She knew he wouldn't listen to her, so she grumbled under her breath, occasionally gasping in pain._

_They made it to the hospital in record time. She was wheeled into a room and left there while Jon went to get the doctor. _

_Soon, the doctor came, with a nurse and Julia behind him. Julia took her hand and squeezed. It was going to be a long night._

_An hour later, the doctor placed her babies in her arms. A boy and a girl. The boy was older by seven minutes. They were both beautiful, perfect. Slightly olive skin, inherited from her mother, deep brown eyes, like their father, and beautiful dark brown, almost black, curls on their little heads._

"_They're beautiful Char." Julia cooed. _

"_Where's Jon?" she asked._

"_He's talking with the doctor and Uncle Phil." Julia said, not meeting her eyes._

_Just then, Uncle Phil stormed in, his face livid. Jon followed him, looking just as furious._

"_What's wrong?" she asked, confused. She handed the little boy to Julia and held the little girl close._

"_Well, Jon, tell her." Phil was struggling to keep calm._

"_Tell me what?" she asked._

"_We're putting the kids up for adoption. I have the papers." Jon replied, getting the papers out of his pocket._

"_We're what?" she asked, shocked._

"_I told him you wouldn't agree with it. I told him you wouldn't have anything to do with it. I told him you wouldn't allow it." Phil said._

"_Char, we have to. We can't keep them."_

"_I'm not letting you take them." she protested. "You can't." She started sobbing._

"_It's the only way."_

"_No!" she cried._

"_You're making this harder than this has to be."_

_Phil knocked Jon off his feet. "I'm not going to let you hurt her or those children. Get out you filthy piece of scum!"_

"_You're making a mistake Char!" Jon yelled before he left. "You'll see."_

_Julia handed the boy back to her and she held both of them, crying._

"_It's okay Char." Julia said. "Uncle Phil won't let him take them away."_

"_That's right Char." Phil whispered. _

_~End Flashback~_

Dr. Mullins had tears in her eyes and Elisabeth noticed that she was crying too.

"What happened?" Max asked. "How did they end up at the School?"

"Later, the doctors took them to the nursery so I could get some rest. I took a nap and woke up to Julia sitting by my bed crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said that my babies died. She said the doctors said that something went wrong. I can't really remember that part. I was devastated. I knew I wasn't going back to Jon, but I also couldn't go back home. Uncle Phil offered me a place to stay and I accepted. I went to college online and became a doctor. I got a job at the School, but I didn't know exactly what went on there. I soon found out, but like so many others, I was too afraid to quit. A while after I started, Elisabeth was brought there. She was three years old and as soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew what had happened. Jon had done something and somehow Elisabeth had ended up with wings. She had never died and I hoped that somewhere her brother was safe, having a better life than she was. I later found out that my boy had indeed suffered the same fate."

She went silent, waiting to see what they'd say.

"Did you ever tell anyone?" Max asked, since she figured no one else would say anything.

"No." Dr. Mullins said. "I thought I'd not be allowed to see her. If they knew…I don't want to think what might have happened."

There was another moment of silence. Elisabeth and Fang were having a hard time grasping the meaning of her words.

Their father hadn't wanted them. He had probably bribed a doctor or nurse to dispose of them. Fury burned deep inside both of them. They hated him. Jon Walker. The devil. The reason they had wings. The reason they could never be normal.

But, if it wasn't for him, they wouldn't be part of the flock. They wouldn't know who Max, Iggy, Nudge, Gaz, Angel, Total, Dr. Martinez, Ella, or Jeb were. Maybe what had happened to them wasn't all bad.

"Elisabeth?" Iggy asked. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?" She noted the worry in his voice.

"I'm okay." she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Dr. Mullins.

"I know I should have, but I thought they'd find out." she explained. "Do you forgive me? Both of you?"

"Of course." Elisabeth said getting up and going to the couch. She hugged her mother and said, "It's okay. I understand."

"Fang?" Dr. Mullins asked.

"I don't see why I need to forgive you. It's not like it was your fault." he whispered.

Dr. Mullins smiled softly. "Thank you." she said. "Well, I suppose you should be getting to bed."

"Actually, we need to discuss with Elisabeth what actually happened to her." Max said, turning to her.

Elisabeth knew this was coming and she was ready to finally be able to tell the whole story to everyone for what she hoped was the last time. She took a deep breath and said, "I was there for three days. On the third day, they wheeled me into a room and told me they were going to drill a hole in my head. No anesthetics. I was about to lose all hope when Iggy and Angel blew up a wall-"

"You blew up a wall?!" Max yelled.

"It was the only plan I had. Would you rather they had turned her full super-computer? Would you rather she destroyed the world; destroyed us?" Iggy asked.

"No." Max admitted. "That would not have been good."

"Did anything else happen?" Dr. Mullins asked.

"Nope." Elisabeth said.

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Well, keep your eyes peeled." Dr. Mullins said, standing to leave.

"Do you have to go?" Elisabeth asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid I do. You all need sleep. I'll see you at school." She then left.

"You heard your mother." Dr. Martinez said. "She's right. You've got school tomorrow. I know you've had several exciting days, but you need to go to school." She ushered them up to their rooms.

Elisabeth crawled onto her bed. It was just a mattress, she never liked sleeping off the ground much. Spending all those years sleeping on that cold, metal table had done that to her. She drifted off into a troubled sleep.

**I think that was a pretty long chapter. I think you all deserved a longer chapter. Well, read, review, vote in my poll, and all that good stuff. Hope you like it!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Alright, another update is here. Before I get on with another riveting chapter, I have something to say: The votes are in! The new title of my story is 'With Wings Wide Open'! Thank you to everyone who voted. Now, let's get on with the story!**

It was pitch black. She couldn't see anything. No, there was a light. Now she could see. She was in a clearing. She was all alone. No, she wasn't. Someone was with her. _He _was with her. Iggy was there. They were together. He shouted her name. She shouted back. He couldn't hear her. She tried again. He still couldn't hear. Suddenly, there was a bang. Iggy fell to the ground. She screamed, but nothing came out. Iggy was lying in a pool of blood. She heard maniacal laughter. It was ringing in her ears. She screamed again. Someone grabbed her shoulder. Someone shook her.

"Elisabeth. Wake up." A voice told her.

"Iggy!" she cried. Everything was dark again.

"I'm here. It's okay. It's just a nightmare. That's all." The voice sounded familiar and worried.

She cracked open her eyes and saw Iggy's face in the darkness. He was sitting next to her on her bed. She noticed that her face had tears running down. She had been crying. She hated to have Iggy see her like this, but at the moment she didn't care.

She buried her face on his shoulder and sobbed. He brought his arms around her and, as she cried, he patted her back lightly.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay. Everything's fine. Don't cry. I've got you. Shh." Iggy whispered comfortingly. He hated seeing her like this. It broke his heart when she cried. He felt her trembling.

"Oh Iggy. It was awful." she said, sniffling.

He patted her again. "It's okay. Tell me what happened."

"It was a nightmare. We were in that clearing where you kissed me. You were shouting my name and I shouted back. You didn't hear me and then there was a bang. You were lying on the ground in a pool of blood and then I heard this horrible laughter. I think it was the Director. Oh Iggy, don't leave me." she said, still sobbing.

"I won't. I promise. I'm fine. She's not here. It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you." he said, wiping the tears off her face. "Please don't cry. I can't stand it when you cry. I'll lose it. Calm down. Everything's fine. I promise."

"I'm sorry. It's just that I don't want to lose you. I love you too much." She stopped crying, but she was still shaking.

"Nothing's going to happen to me. I'm more worried about you. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere." he said.

"Where's Max?" Elisabeth asked, trying to get her mind off of that terrible nightmare.

"She's sleeping in the living room tonight. Remember?" he told her, still patting her.

"Oh right. I forgot." she said, calming down. She had stopped shaking, but she was still a little scared.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked her.

"I will be if you stay in here until I fall asleep." she said, laying back down.

He covered her up and kissed her on the head. "I won't leave until I'm positive that you're asleep."

"Thanks. How'd you know I was crying anyway?" she asked.

"I could hear you tossing and turning and then you started screaming my name. I ran in here to check on you. I had to keep myself from crying when I saw you. I never want to see you like that again." he said. "You scared me so bad."

"I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too." he replied. "Now, you just get some rest. Go to sleep, shut your eyes. Nothing will happen to you while I'm here."

She closed her eyes, finally able to relax now that he was there with her.

He sat next to her in silence, stroking her hair, until her soft snores filled the room. He kissed her on the forehead and then slowly backed out of the room, leaving the door open a crack.

He turned around and walked straight into Fang.

"What're you doing up Fnick?" he asked.

"I heard you in Elisabeth's room." Fang said.

"Oh, she woke you up too?"

"Yeah. Did she have a nightmare?"

"Yeah, but I took care of it." He yawned sleepily. "Well, I'm going to bed. Night."

Iggy laid down on his bed and strained his ears, listening for Elisabeth. He listened for an hour before going to sleep. She was going to be just fine.

_Those whitecoats are going to pay for making her cry. _He thought before falling asleep. _I'll make sure of it._

**Okay, that was another filler. I thought it was really cute and sweet. As I said, the new title of this story is 'With Wings Wide Open'. Remember that. Keep reading and reviewing. I'll update ASAP.**


	37. Note

**Okay guys, here is one of those annoying author's notes. I have a few things to say. First, I'm really really thrilled that you all love my story. Thanks for your reviews. Second, I will try to put some Fax in here. I don't know if you noticed, but I did put Fax in chapter 12. It's really subtle so you probably didn't notice though. This is a tribute to Iggy, so there won't be a whole lot of Faxness. Sorry. Third, the rest of the story, starting with chapter 37, is set two years after the beginning. I did that because I wanted the Director to lull them into a false sense of security while she came up with her plans to get Elisabeth and everything else she's trying to do. Fourth, I need you all to do me a huge favor. Can you all please come up with a name for the Iggy/Elisabeth pairing? Leave your idea in a review or send me a PM. I tried to come up with something, but I got Eggy which is Iggy/Ella. I'll post my favorite one after my next two updates. Well, that's all I had to say. Remember, the rest of my story is set two years after the beginning. That makes Max, Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth 16 years old and juniors, Ella 14 years old and a freshman, Nudge 13 years old and an eighth grader, Gazzy 10 years old and a fifth grader, and Angel 8 years old and a third grader. The next chapter is going to be in Max's POV and she's just going to catch us up with everything. All of their old friends are going to be in here and they made a couple of new friends. The next few chapters we're just going to catch up with everybody and then the plot thickens. You know what I mean right? Well, things will get pretty interesting after we are all caught up. I'll just leave it at that. Well, hope you have a very Merry Christmas. I'll probably update before then, but just in case I don't, I'm saying it now. Well that's all I have to say, so bye!**


	38. Chapter 37

**Alrighty, update time. As you all know, (or you should know if you read my note) the rest of this story is set two years after the beginning. This is Max's POV just so you know. Hope you all like it.**

The last two years went by so fast. We haven't heard anything from Itex, the School, or the Director since Iggy saved Elisabeth the last time. We've just been going to school. Speaking of school, today I'm a junior. I can hardly believe me, Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth are all sixteen. Man, when did that happen? It seems like just yesterday we were all fourteen. We've all changed so much.

Iggy is so freaking tall! He's like 6'6 now. Hopefully he won't grow anymore. He's also percussion captain in the school marching band. Huge responsibility. We go to all of the football games and watch and we've also gone to several of his marching competitions and an away football game. He's really good. He never ceases to amaze me. You'd think that because he can't see to read music he wouldn't be all that great, but it just makes him better. He works so hard. He's so serious about it. He's usually not that serious. It's sometimes funny to watch him boss the rest of the drum line around. He gets it from me I guess. He and Elisabeth are still going strong.

Elisabeth is taking all kinds of honors classes and Iggy's right there with her. She's helped us all a lot at school. Without her, well we probably wouldn't have passed the ninth grade. She's grown a lot. She's not so shy anymore. She talks more, expresses her opinion, and she doesn't take crap from anyone. She's woodwind captain in the band. She wants to be drum major next year and Iggy's all for it. Those two are inseparable. She still looks the same, just a little taller and she has light brown highlights in her hair. They're natural from spending so much time in the sun from summer band practice.

Fang's the same as always. Mr. Rock. Mr. Silent. Mr. Superman. He doesn't look any different either. He's taller though. He's discovered a new talent; he's good at writing stories. Elisabeth helps him a little. They've grown closer. He's written some pretty good stuff which he shows to his mom, Dr. Mullins. He shows her what he's been working on when she comes over for dinner once a week.

Nudge has a whole bunch of friends. Little Miss Popularity. She and Ella are best friends though. They haven't changed much either. Nudge's still a motor mouth. She and Ella still aww over Iggy and Elisabeth even though Ella has a boyfriend of her own.

Gazzy and Angel also haven't changed much. Gazzy and Iggy are still big buddies. They're still making bombs and testing them out on unsuspecting people, mostly me. Angel's hair is longer and is losing its "little girl" curls.

And then there's me. No boyfriend or anything like that. Chris got me to join the volleyball team. I'm captain and she's my co-captain. I look pretty much the same. I'm doing good in school, thanks to Elisabeth's frequent tutoring sessions. I'm dressing a little more girly too. I don't wear pink frilly things or designer labels, but I do wear stuff that's a lot different from my t-shirt and jeans wardrobe from years past. I also have a license just like Elisabeth and Fang. Iggy's a little bummed that he wasn't allowed to get his license because he's blind, but he says he'll live.

We're not the only one's who have changed though. Caressa, Colten, and Chris have too. Colten and Caressa are dating. He finally got the nerve to ask her, with a little help from Iggy. Colten is the other woodwind captain and he isn't so clumsy anymore. Caressa is on the color guard team for the marching band; Elisabeth convinced her. She's amazing, mostly because she took dancing lessons from the time she was three to the time she was thirteen. Chris is the same for the most part. After what Elisabeth did to Vanessa, she started standing up for herself too. She was suspended for two weeks last year for beating the crap out of Vanessa.

Speaking of Vanessa, she got transferred to another school in the next town over. She's not Miss High and Mighty anymore. No one here talks to her anymore, not even Kylie and Heather.

Heather hasn't been seen since we came back after we saved Elisabeth. According to Chris and Caressa, she went to go live with her mom on the East Coast somewhere.

Kylie was a big shocker. She's actually really smart. She is a bookworm. She said she was just pretending she was dumb for Heather and Vanessa. She's friends with us now. It's kind of weird, but she's much nicer this way. She's also on the color guard squad. She cut her hair shorter, started wearing glasses, and stopped wearing all of those tight mini skirts and tank tops.

Like I said before, we haven't been attacked or anything. I don't think the Director gave up though. She's still out there somewhere, making her plans to destroy us. I worry everyday about one of us getting captured on our way home from school.

Speaking of school, it's the first day. I'm now a junior. I still can't believe it. So much has happened.

"Max!" Fang shouted from the top of the stairs. "Hurry up! We'll be late!"

"I'm coming!" I yelled from the bathroom.

"Is Max still in there?" I heard Iggy ask. "Max, all the makeup in the world won't make you look any better."

I opened the door and said, "Iggy, you know I don't wear makeup." I grabbed my backpack and walked downstairs with them.

"Which is why you don't have a boyfriend." he teased.

I shot him the bird and, even though he couldn't see, he knew what I did.

"Very ladylike." he said.

"Oh leave her alone Iggy." Elisabeth said, coming out of the kitchen.

"I'm just messing with her. Right Max?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm driving!" I shouted grabbing the keys.

"I call shot gun!" Elisabeth said.

"But I wanted to sit with you." Iggy said.

"Too bad." she said smiling. "I love you and all Ig, but I like sitting up front."

"Fine but you have to pay me back." he said, opening the front door for us.

"How?" she asked.

"I'll think of something." he said with a smirk on his face.

We all piled in the car mom bought us to share. We drove to school. It was all pretty uneventful. Story of my life. Well currently anyway.

**Okay, that was pretty suckish. Next chapter will be loads better, I promise. Keep the names for the Iggy/Elisabeth pairing coming. I'm loving them. I know it's tough, but you'll think of something. I have faith. Well, I'll try to update soon. Happy Holidays!**


	39. Chapter 38

**Hey guys. We have a winner for the Iggy/Elisabeth pairing: Iggabeth. Several people suggested this and I thought it was cute. Thanks for all of your ideas. This chapter begins with after school marching band practice. I am in marching band, so I know what I'm talking about even though you may not. Some of this is based on things that have actually happened to me and my friends. Enjoy!**

"Band! Ten-hut!" Drum Major Haley Dean shouted. It was after school band practice. Two weeks until their first competition and tensions were high. Everyone snapped to attention and went absolutely silent.

"Esperanza drill! Run it through twice! Drum line go to the edge of the parking lot and work on your music! Mark time mark!" She clapped out the beats and everyone did the drill.

"Okay!" Haley yelled when they were finished. "Five minute water break." They all trudged over to the other side of the parking lot, grabbing their water bottles and taking a swig.

"I think I'm going to faint." Elisabeth said dramatically.

"Well I'm not catching you." Colten said. "I hope Jeff can run fast, otherwise your brain's gonna be splattered on the concrete."

"Maybe if he was Edward Cullen he'd get to her that quick." Kylie said. "Now Colten play nicely or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll hit you with a six foot flag pole." she said, gesturing to her flag that was two feet away.

"She knows I'm joking." he said, punching her lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, well I'm going to talk to Jimmy, the only one of you with any common sense." Elisabeth said, spotting the freshman sax player under a tree, trying to beat the heat.

"Jimmy has common sense? Yeah right." Senior Mary Ward said, laughing. Jimmy was supposedly her prodigy since Colten was already claimed during his freshman year by, now college sophomore, Tyler Lacy. She enjoyed picking on him, along with everyone else.

Elisabeth shook her head and walked over to Jimmy. "Hey Jim-Bob. High five for the excellent job on that solo." she said, putting up her hand.

He went to high-five her, but she drew her hand back and shouted, "Who's gay!" He quickly put his hand down. It was a band joke and no one liked falling for it.

"Picking on the Asian huh? Nice Elisabeth, real nice."

"Alright band! Music arc!" Haley shouted, blowing her whistle.

"Ow." Caressa said, putting her fingers in her ears. "Not so close to my ear next time. I'm still recovering from being next to the drum line all through their drum feature."

"Suck it up Caressa." Iggy said, walking up behind her, going to his spot. "It's no picnic being next to you either. You've almost knocked my head off twice! And that's just today!"

"Suck it up Jeff." she said smirking, walking to her spot, behind everyone.

"Guys!" Haley shouted. "We've only got two weeks 'till competition! Now if you'd rather skip this one then keep talking and acting like a bunch of three year olds!"

She turned around slightly and Mary, thinking Haley couldn't see her, flipped her off. Haley turned around and shouted, "Mary Ward! Drop and give me ten!"

Mary's jaw dropped. "Ok, who snitched? I bet it was Zach. You're so dead Cushman!"

"I saw you." Haley said. "Now drop."

Mary grumbled, but dropped to the ground. She struggled for two whole minutes before Haley took pity on her. "Alright. You can do the other five tomorrow." she said, helping Mary up.

She then looked at her watch. "The last thirty minutes of practice has been wasted." she announced. "Tomorrow is a silent rehearsal. If anyone besides a captain talks, you all have to do laps. That means if I see anyone besides Jeff, Colten, Elisabeth, Chase, Emily, or Caressa talking tomorrow you are all in for it. And if they talk about anything but band or goof off, then they have to run laps too. Get in parade formation. We're marching it in. You can swing if you want even though you don't deserve it."

She shook her head and grabbed her bag. Haley was not in a good mood. If they wanted to go to competition, they were going to have to step it up and quit goofing off. Everyone would have to remain focused if they expected to win any "shiny plastic", as last year's Drum Major, Justin Robinson, called the trophies.

"You heard Haley!" Iggy shouted. "Block up! Drum line, strap up! We're playing Street Beat. Any complaints and not only will you be doing laps, but you won't be going to the first competition."

"Same goes for woodwinds!" Elisabeth yelled. "Zach Cushman, do not roll your eyes at me! I'm captain here! I don't see you showing any leadership qualities!"

"Whatever." Zach muttered. He didn't take band, or anything for that matter, seriously.

"Yeah brass. Block up!" Gary McBride, the sophomore tuba player said.

"Gary, that's my job!" Chase Hardy, the trombone playing brass captain, said. "I'm the captain. When you become captain, then you give the orders, but until then, I'm in charge."

"I'm trying out for drum major next year." Gary said, lifting his tuba off of the ground.

"If you're going to be drum major, then I'm quitting." Miles Sarver, the bass drummer, mumbled so low, only a couple people heard him. Miles was a sophomore and had to put up with Gary more than anyone. None of the sophomores, or other band kids, could stand him. He was obnoxious, thought band was life, and thought he could play everyone's instrument better than they could. In reality, he was the worst player of them all, even worse than Zach, who never practiced.

"Enough chit chat." Emily Martin, the other brass captain, said. "Go get in parade formation and be quiet."

The band silently blocked up and went straight to attention without Haley having to tell them to. The drums started on Haley's count and they marched in, without swinging. Not even the flag girls did.

They got to the band room and Haley dismissed them. They all grabbed their stuff and waited outside for their rides.

Elisabeth walked up to Haley and said, "Sorry about my woodwinds. They'll be better behaved tomorrow. I can't say anything for Mary though. You know how she is."

"It's ok." Haley said. "It's not your fault. School's stressing everyone out, especially the seniors and freshman. I know it's only the first day and all, but it's still stressful. Teachers talk constantly about graduation and the freshman can't find half of their classes."

Iggy had come up to them by then. "Yeah, well I tried to keep the drum line in check."

"You did an excellent job, as always. You know, my freshman year we had two drum majors. Maybe we could have the same thing next year. You both should definitely try out. You'd be great." she mused.

"Nah." Iggy said. "The drum line needs me. Besides, I like playing the drums too much. Elisabeth wants to try out though." he said, putting his arm around her.

"Well good for you Elisabeth. You'd be really good."

"Yeah. Thanks." Just then, Max pulled up, honking the horn. "There's our ride. See you tomorrow Haley." she said waving.

Iggy and Elisabeth walked to the car, opened the doors, and climbed in, sighing.

"Anything interesting happen?" she asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

"No more interesting than usual." Iggy said. "Why, did you think something happened?"

"No, it's just that…" she trailed off.

"Come on Max. It's been two years and nothing. Maybe they gave up." he said.

"No Iggy, Max is right. We can't be sure. She knows where we are and everything. How she knows it is a mystery... but still. This won't last forever. We might be thirty when they come for us, but they will come." Elisabeth said, looking out the window.

Iggy shook his head, but knew the argument was lost. No point in fighting, especially not with Max and Elisabeth; he'd be lucky to survive.

Max pulled into the driveway and they stumbled out of the car, their backpacks slung over their shoulders, and walked inside.

They dropped their bags in the hall and Iggy and Elisabeth headed for the kitchen to start dinner.

"So, Iggy, what culinary treat are we in for today?" Elisabeth questioned.

"Beef stew." he said, getting some carrots, onions, potatoes, and celery out of the cabinet.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"Not really." he said. "Why don't you just go relax in the living room?" he suggested.

"I'm relaxed. I'm always relaxed with you." she said, a smile spreading across her face.

Iggy put down the vegetables, turned to her, and put one hand around her waist. He pulled her close to him and then he crushed his lips onto hers and she responded by letting a little moan escape. She brought her hands around his shoulders and he tilted his head, also letting a moan escape.

They didn't notice Max walking into the room. When she saw them she made a gagging noise, but they still didn't notice. "Ahem." she cleared her throat, causing them to jump.

Iggy let go of Elisabeth, who blushed, and turned back to his vegetables.

"Gross. In the kitchen. Are you kidding me?" she said, shaking her head. She turned around and walked away, disgusted.

"Maybe a little too relaxed." Iggy muttered silently.

She could see him grinning shamelessly out of the corner of her eyes. She knew he was just joking.

She walked into the living room, humming 'Ode to Joy', one of her and Iggy's favorite songs, as she flipped through the channels on the TV. She was oblivious to the world around her, lost in her own thoughts.

She snapped out of it when Iggy sat down on the couch next to her, half an hour later. He was still smiling and so was she.

_The joys of being a junior. _She thought.

**Little romance going on in that chapter. I really liked writing this one, because I used some things from band practices and other random things from this marching season. I don't know when I'll update, but I'll try to make it soon. Happy Holidays…again!**


	40. Chapter 39

**Okay guys, you all wanted a chapter for Ella and Nudge so here it is. This is what happened on their first day back at school. Ella's boyfriend, by popular request, is named Jacob. Thought I'd tell you that now to get it out of the way. The end of this chapter is where the fun starts, if you catch my drift. Well, let's get on with it then.**

"Hey Alex, sit over here!" Kyra Warner shouted to Nudge in first period Spanish class.

Nudge walked over to sit next to her, even though there was an empty seat next to her friend Cameron Tiggert. Cameron saw this and sat her books down in the seat next to her, saving a seat for Nudge just in case.

Kyra had never been one of Nudge's good friends, but she liked her enough. Last year they entered the science fair together and won a second place ribbon for their project on recycling.

"Hi Kyra." Nudge said, laying her books on the table, but not taking a seat. "Umm what's up?"

"The usual. Aren't you going to sit down?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah." Nudge sat down and glanced over at Cameron, who moved her stuff, sighing. She came over and sat at the desk behind Nudge, looking put out. Nudge shrugged her shoulders and talked to Kyra until the bell rang, signaling class.

The rest of the morning went like this. People would ask Nudge to sit with them and she'd have to choose. That was the trouble with being so well liked. Nudge was popular and not just because of the stuff she had or who she hung out with. She hung out with everyone. Nudge was just a people person. She always made time for Ella, who was her best friend, and Ella's boyfriend Jacob Shaw though. Those were the two people she liked talking to best, besides the flock of course.

Soon it was time for lunch and Nudge went downstairs to the cafeteria. She walked over to her usual table and set her stuff down. No one was there yet, so she grabbed a tray and went through the lunch line. It was spaghetti day. Great. The only edible thing on spaghetti day was the roll.

As Nudge walked back to her table, she saw some people waiting for her. Ella was there with Jacob and Nudge sat on the other side of her. Jake and Ella seemed to be talking about something, so Nudge looked around. There were two other kids at the table; Sandra Blevins and Evan Powell. Sandra was another good friend of Nudge's, so she talked to her for awhile.

Soon the table became crowded, as usual. Andrew Spencer had just grabbed the last seat next to his girlfriend Maria Cole. Maria was talking to her best friend Hannah Wilbourne about the soccer game they were playing on Friday. Next to Hannah was Lily Jenkins who was talking to Jeremy Logan, across the table. Next to Jeremy was Grace Dawkins, Travis Morgan was sitting on the other side of Jeremy, and, last but not least, Cameron Tiggert, Grace's best friend, was having an argument with Evan.

Nudge was lost in thought when Ella tapped her on the shoulder.

"Max and Elisabeth seem really worried." Ella whispered. "Angel tried to read their minds last night, but before she could get anything out of them, Elisabeth started humming 'Ode to Joy' really loud in her head and Max did the intro to Romeo and Juliet. I can't believe she remembers all of that from last year. Every time they finished, they would start up again. She didn't even bother trying to get anything out of Fang and Iggy."

"If Elisabeth and Max aren't talking, then neither are Fang and Iggy." Nudge whispered back, knowingly.

Nudge wondered what could have Max and Elisabeth so worried? Maybe the whitecoats were coming back. That was a possibility, but wouldn't they tell anyone that? Maybe not. Maybe they didn't want to worry the rest of the flock. But then why tell Fang and Iggy? Maybe it was because Fang and Iggy were older. But Nudge was older too. She was thirteen now, close to fourteen.

_They just don't want to worry me either. _She thought. _Not unless it's absolutely necessary._

The lunch bell rang and Nudge grabbed her books. Time for Algebra and then she could go home.

Algebra was the same as the rest of her classes. Everyone of her friends wanted her to sit with them. In the end, she ended up sitting at a table with Sandra and Travis.

After class, Nudge grabbed her stuff out of her locker and waited while Ella and Jacob said a very long good bye. She then walked with Ella to the parking lot, walked over to Max's car, opened the door, and climbed in.

"Where're Iggy and Elisabeth?" Nudge asked Max, as Max pulled out.

"Band." Fang answered automatically.

"Oh."

No one talked much on the drive home. Ella had been right; Max did seemed worried and Fang was just letting her think.

They got to the house and Nudge went to her room with Ella. They talked about Jacob and school for a long time before the smell of beef stew got their attentions.

They thundered upstairs to the kitchen and saw their dinner, simmering on the stove. The phone rang and Ella dashed for it, thinking it was Jacob. Nudge sighed and walked into the living room.

Elisabeth and Iggy were curled up on the couch, watching TV. She didn't think they were really watching. The news was on and they weren't really paying any attention. She figured they only had it on for the noise.

Suddenly, Iggy sat up straight and Elisabeth's eyes went wide.

"Go get Max." Elisabeth said urgently.

Nudge shouted for Max, who came running down the stairs thirty seconds later.

"What?" she asked.

"Look what's on the news." Iggy said, turning up the volume.

**Cliff hanger. Sorry guys. I had to do it. This chapter wasn't all that great and I'm sorry about that. Trust me, this next chapter will make up for it. I promise. Keep reading and reviewing and a Merry Christmas to everyone.**


	41. Chapter 40

**Merry Christmas everyone! Decided to update! This is my Christmas present to all of you guys. Now, I know the time jump is a little confusing, but I felt that I needed to do it. I hope you guys understand. Well, here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy. I'm picking it up from the cliffhanger. **

Max ran to the couch and sat down, keeping her eyes glued to the screen. There was a video image of firefighters putting out flames on a huge building. It looked like an old hospital.

"This is the third fire in this area this week." the reporter said. "The firefighters say it looks like the fires were caused by electricity, but that is nearly impossible since these buildings are no longer in use. The building you see burning behind me is an old hospital. It's been shut down for a few years and was scheduled for demolition."

The cameras went back to the studio. "Thanks Alice." the other newscaster said. "In other news, another child has gone missing. Three-week-old Faith Underwood of Boston, Massachusetts was taken from her room. The only signs of damage are a broken window and her crib has been smashed." The newscaster continued, but no one was listening to the financial problems in the Midwest.

Iggy grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "I guess you guys were right."

"I don't know Ig." Max said, pacing. "I mean, this sounds like the Director, but I've been wrong before. I mean, these kinds of things have happened before. Kids have been taken from their homes and people have set fire to old buildings for fun. Who knows? Maybe this time she didn't do anything."

"Is this what you guys were afraid of?" Nudge asked.

"How did you know we were afraid of something?" Elisabeth asked. "We kept Angel out of our heads."

"I've known you guys long enough to tell when you're scared."

Angel and Gazzy came downstairs, with Total right behind. Angel sat down on Max's lap and said, "I heard everything. So, she's doing something bad again. Are we going to have to leave?" Angel was clearly worried and, even though Gaz didn't say anything, you could tell he was worried too.

"No Ange. We aren't going anywhere. At least, I hope not. If things start to get bad around here, then we will. We have to protect mom and Ella. We can't put them in danger, so if she comes for us, then we're out of here."

Everyone was quiet for awhile. They were all too busy thinking. They had made lives in this small town. Why did the Director have to take it away from them? They all loved it there. Ella and Dr. Martinez were great and Elisabeth couldn't stand to leave Dr. Mullins since she found out she was her mother. It was all too hard. They had made friends and Elisabeth was going to try out for drum major next year. Iggy was the best drum line captain their school had ever had. Max was awesome on the volleyball court. Nudge was thinking about trying out for the school play. Everything was great here. They couldn't just leave. But they would have to if they were going to be a danger. They wouldn't let their friends get hurt. They couldn't.

Fang ran downstairs just then, laptop in hand. He was looking frantic. It took a lot to get Fang spooked, but something was definitely wrong.

"What?" Elisabeth asked, hearing the intense panic in her voice.

Fang ran over to the couch and opened his laptop. "I got an email. Look at the subject." The subject title was **Elisabeth**. Everyone looked at each other, terrified. Fang clicked on the message.

_We're coming for you. There is no stopping us. Surrender and your friends will live. You won't know when we'll come, but know it will be soon. If you're smart, you'll give yourself up. Face it, you have no choice. See you around._

They were all going to be in danger. She had to go. She couldn't let them get hurt because of her.

"No." Iggy said. "Angel told me what you were thinking and the answer is no. We don't care what happens to us, but I'm not going to let them touch you. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never let anything happen to you. I never break a promise, not even one to myself."

"I'm not letting you die for me!" Elisabeth cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "There's no way. I can't let that happen."

"No one's going to die!" Angel shouted. "You two are being ridiculous. Max isn't going to let anything happen to anyone. Elisabeth, there's no need for you to leave and Iggy, you aren't going to have to throw yourself in front of a bullet. Tell them Max."

"Guys, I don't know what's going to happen, but you know I won't let them touch any of you." Max said.

"Max, please. Let me go. I can handle myself. I'll go into hiding. When she comes, you can have her search everything. She'll see that I'm not here and go looking for me. You'll all have time to move where she'll never find you. I can't stand by and let you all throw away everything for me." She was begging and sobbing. She meant every word.

"Elisabeth, she'd take us too. She'd come here to get you and when she saw that you weren't here, she'd still take us. We'd feel better if you stayed with us. We need you. Maybe we can come up with a plan. I'm sure your mom and mine would agree. We're in this together. We're a flock." Max said, hoping to finalize her plan.

"But Max-"

"No buts." Fang interrupted.

There was only one solution. Elisabeth would have to run away. She didn't care what they said. She had to. She wasn't going to do this to any of them, especially not Iggy. They could be happy and all she had to do was walk out of their lives. She'd do it tonight. She wouldn't tell them. She'd leave without a goodbye. It'd be easier that way. Less painful, for everyone.

Everyone headed upstairs, convinced everything would be okay.

_Everything will be okay. _Elisabeth thought as she walked up the stairs. _I'll be gone in the morning. No one will notice for hours. Max is sleeping in the living room again, so I don't have to worry about waking her up. I'll miss them, but it's the best thing for everyone. I'll leave a note, so Iggy will understand why, so I can tell him I love him one last time._

**How was that? I thought that was a pretty decent chapter, considering all the sucky chapters I've been writing lately. I think this one is much better, just like I promised. Well, Happy Holidays. Again, I have to do this: ten reviews before the next chapter. Sorry guys. Keep reading and reviewing. Hope you're Christmas is a great one. Mine is going to be. Bye.**


	42. Chapter 41

**I don't want to ruin this chapter with a boring and pointless note. No one usually reads them anyway, so I'm just going to keep this note short and simple. Thanks for the reviews and here's Chapter 41. **

It was three in the morning. Elisabeth went over her plan one more time, carefully. Nothing could go wrong. It would be dangerous and she knew it, but she had to do it. She wasn't putting Iggy or the others in harm's way anymore. They'd been good to her, so now it was time to pay them back for their kindness. She had to leave. It was the only way to save them.

_Okay. _She thought to herself, hoping Angel wasn't listening. _I'm only taking my sweatshirt and some money. I'm going to open my door, sneak into Iggy and Fang's room, leave the note, soundlessly come back into here, open my window, and sneak out. Front door is too dangerous to go out because Max will definitely hear me and probably lock me in a closet until the end of the world. Am I forgetting anything? Right, the note._

She grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil and began.

_Dear Iggy and everyone else, I have to leave. It's the only way. I'm not putting you in anymore danger. I can't. I'm not going to be the reason you all get hurt or worse. I couldn't live with myself. Don't bother looking for me. You'll never find me. No one will. Just get on with your lives. I've done enough damage. I'm going to miss you guys so much. You're my family. You helped me a lot. You made me feel like a person, not an experiment or super-computer. I'll never forget any of you, but I want you all to forget me, especially you Iggy. I don't deserve you. You're too good to me. Just remember that I love you and that's why I'm leaving. For you. I'm sorry. I ruined your lives. I'm sorry. For everything. I hope you'll forgive me. You have no idea how much this is hurting me. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it does. Goodbye, Elisabeth._

She read it over and over, tears spilling down her face. They fell onto the letter, smearing some of the words. She hoped it was still readable. She couldn't tell, because her vision was blurred by her tears.

This was going to be hard on her and Iggy both. She knew he'd understand, he'd probably even do the same for her. She also knew that this would probably kill him, as it would kill her if he did this. She knew he'd never forget her. She knew he couldn't. She knew he wouldn't move on. He'd never love anyone again, but there was nothing she could say. She couldn't make him forget her; it would take a lot of time for him to heal. Maybe when he recovered he'd move on and be happy again. That was all she could ask for. He needed to be happy.

_It's for the best. _She reminded herself. _All for the best._

She wiped the tears from her face and continued thinking about the plan. She'd have to leave soon, but she had one more thing to go over.

_I have to go to New Jersey and find the Director. I'll give her a piece of my mind. I'll tell her there's no way I'm going to be full super-computer. She'll probably say that I don't have a choice. I'll tell her that there's always another choice and then, somehow, I'll…kill myself. _She shuddered. She didn't like the thought of that, but she knew she had to do it.

_It's the only other way. Either I destroy myself or I destroy everyone else. I'm not a killer. I can't take innocent lives. The Director's destroying the world and if she gets me then destruction will only happen sooner. If she uses me, it'll be brutal. I'll show no mercy. I won't care. But right now, I do care and that's why I have to take myself away from the world. I have to go find the Director so she won't hurt the others and they'll be safe for a while. _

She glanced at the clock._ Better get going. If I don't hurry, it'll be time for breakfast before I get out of here. _

She pulled on her sweatshirt, grabbed her money and the note, and walked towards the door. She opened it, stepped out, and tripped over something. It was a person. She was now lying on top of whoever it was.

"Ow." the person groaned. The body stirred, moaning a little, probably from pain. That was an extremely hard landing. She thought that she bent her wing a little. It certainly felt like she had.

"Iggy?" Elisabeth asked, realizing who it was. She could see his blue eyes in the dark. They were inches away from her face. She wondered what he was doing out there in the hall.

"You know, I always dreamed of this moment differently. In my dreams, I wasn't in pain and we weren't on the ground outside your bedroom." he joked, and she sat up.

"What're you doing out here?"

"I believe I was sleeping." he whispered.

"I kind of established that." she said, tossing his pillow at his face. "I meant, what are you doing sleeping outside my bedroom door? Honestly, sometimes you are an absolute retard."

He laughed silently. "That's an excellent question. I guess I just can't stay away from you." he teased, shrugging.

"I'm serious Ig."

He sighed and said, "I knew you were going to try and make a break for it. I wasn't going to let you go without a fight. I didn't mean to actually fall asleep though. Good thing you tripped over me, otherwise I wouldn't have known you left 'till morning. That wouldn't have been good." She could tell he was smiling. Of course Iggy could laugh and joke about this. He wasn't the one putting everyone in danger just by being within a mile of them.

"How'd you know I was leaving?" she asked, irritated with him.

"I know you too well." he said. He could tell she was ticked off and decided to start being a little more serious.

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes. Iggy did know her better than anyone did, but not that well.

"Okay, so Angel might have read your mind and she might have told me. Look, I wasn't just going to let you leave. I can't let you. I need you." God, how he needed her. She was like his air or some kind of drug. He could live without her for a little while, but not forever. He doubted he could survive more than a week or two at the most. She couldn't leave him. If she did, he'd go crazy, maybe even die. He'd drown in his misery; he'd be consumed by grief.

He shuddered at the thought. Losing her would be unbearable. She had to stay or he'd go with her. She'd probably argue, but she wouldn't be able to get rid of him easily. He'd follow her to the ends of the earth. He wouldn't leave her side. He made his mind up a long time ago. He'd wait to tell her of course. Maybe he could still get her to change her mind. It was worth a shot.

She knew where this was going. He was trying to talk her into staying. He was trying to convince her that nothing bad was going to happen. Well, she wasn't giving in that easily.

"Ig, you have to let me go. I can't stay. I didn't want this to be difficult. I didn't want to have to say goodbye. I knew it was going to be painful for both of us. I have to go." She stood up to run, but he grabbed her hand, dragged her back down, and held her close. She wasn't going to be escaping tonight.

She struggled for a minute, but soon gave up. She knew he was too strong.

"No, you don't have to leave. You're staying. I'll tie you up if I have to. I told you I'm not letting you go without a fight, even if it means I have to fight you. You're staying and that's final." he said.

He paused for a second and then continued in a less serious tone. "Just for the heck of it, what was your plan? You weren't just going to sneak out the front door were you? For someone with an IQ off the charts, sometimes you can be pretty stupid. Max would've definitely heard you. She's an extremely light sleeper."

She sighed, exasperated. "No, I wasn't going to go out the front door. I was going to leave a note in your room explaining everything and then go out my window." She twisted a piece of hair, a nervous habit. She knew what was coming next. She was waiting for it, expecting it. The question had to come soon.

"Okay, then what were going to do when you left?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "I was going to find the Director, tell her there was no way she was making me full super-computer, and then…kill myself." She mumbled the last part.

"You were going to what?" he half-shouted.

She put her hand over his mouth, quickly. "Shh. You'll wake everyone up."

"Sorry." he whispered when she peeled her hand off his mouth. "Kill yourself? Have you gone crazy?"

"It was the only way to make sure you guys and everyone else in the world would be safe."

"Always thinking about everyone else." he muttered. "Well, I guess that makes sense, but it's still stupid. Do you know what that would do to me?"

"Yeah. I know. Pretty stupid." She felt the waterworks coming. She could always tell. She could never stop it once she realized it was coming on.

The tears poured down her face and he pulled her closer. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed silently. He placed his hands on her back and started to pet her. He could feel her shaking and wished he could stop it. He had to let her calm down on her own. He wouldn't force her to stop, he'd just comfort her. That's what she needed; a comforting shoulder to cry on.

"Come on." he said, helping her up when she calmed down some. "I'm putting you to bed. Promise you won't try to make another jail break."

She couldn't talk, so she nodded instead.

He pulled her to her room, helped her into bed, kissed her, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

He grabbed his pillow and cover and went back to his room. He trusted her. She wouldn't leave. Not tonight anyway.

_Kill herself. _He thought. _What am I going to do with her? She has to see that we are going to be okay, that she isn't putting anyone in anymore danger then we're normally in. God, I love that girl, but sometimes she just makes me so mad. She doesn't think she's good enough. She's wrong; she's perfect. Okay, so maybe not perfect, but pretty close. As close as a person can get. I don't know what I'd do if she actually killed herself. Probably kill myself. I don't think I could go on without her._

Iggy slipped off into sleep, still thinking about Elisabeth. He was worried about her. He was worried she would do something drastic in an attempt to save everyone. He didn't want to lose her. He couldn't lose her.

**Very depressing, but it was way better than my last couple of chapters. It was kind of sweet too, I suppose. He really loves her. Things are heating up. Keep reading and reviewing. Lots more Iggabeth to come! Hope you all had a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you soon!**


	43. Chapter 42

**Update time! Well guys, I have a bit of a confession to make. You see, I had my whole fanfic planned out to a certain point. That point was Chapter 35. All of my other chapters have been fillers. I really have no clue where this is going or what's going to happen. I'm trying to come up with some stuff, but I don't know if it will work. So, if you have any ideas I would really appreciate it if you could help me out. I'll credit you and everything. Just a small idea will help, even an idea for another filler. This chapter was an idea me and a couple of my friends had. Well, here it is.**

Elisabeth rolled over in her bed. She still had her eyes closed, but she was wide awake. She had been thinking about what she had talked to Iggy about when she tried to run away.

She realized that he wasn't going to let her go. He'd probably come with her and she couldn't have that happen. The only option was to stay.

_He'll be pleased to know that he's getting his way. _She thought.

She opened her eyes and saw Iggy sitting on the floor beside her, clearly awake. This didn't surprise her, but she wondered how long he'd been there.

She sat up and said, "So, how long have you been sitting there?"

He smirked. "About an hour. How long have you been up?"

"About half an hour." She crawled off her bed and sat down in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close, and brought his face down. His breath was warm on the back of her neck and it tickled.

"We need to talk." she said.

"About what? Last night? I thought we already decided on that. I thought you weren't leaving."

She sighed. "I'm not, but we still need to talk about it."

"Alright, go ahead."

"Well, obviously, you aren't going to let me leave even though it's for your own good. The Director is going to come after me eventually and when she does, everyone I'm around is going to be in danger." She paused.

"Yeah, well we're in danger anyway." he said. "She wants us too, though not as bad, and really she only wants Max alive. She could care less about the rest of us."

"I realize that, which is why I've come up with a new plan. It's not as good, but it might save you guys at any rate."

"I'm listening." he said, slightly relieved.

"Well, I'm going to stay, on one condition. If the Director comes here for me, I'll go quietly. I promise I won't kill myself because if I do then she'll probably kill all of you on the spot. The condition is, that when I turn full super-computer, I want you to kill me." She could feel the tears burn in the corners of her eyes.

"Why me?" he asked.

"Because if Max and Fang do it, it'll be for the flock. If you do it, it'll be for me too. You'll do it to stop me from becoming a monster and killing people. You have to promise me you'll do it Iggy."

He sat for a moment, silent. She held her breath waiting for his answer.

"Fine. I'll do it, but I won't like it." he agreed, grudgingly. He wasn't going to let the Director get her though. If she came, he'd run away with Elisabeth. The flock would be alright for a while. The Director would probably go after the two of them first.

"Thank you." she said.

She brought her face closer to his and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Well, I guess we better get downstairs. I need to make breakfast." Iggy said.

"Do we have to?" Elisabeth asked, groaning dramatically.

"Well, Max could always make pancakes." Iggy joked.

"No, let's not make the others suffer." Elisabeth giggled, standing up.

"Good call. She'd probably burn down the whole house." Iggy chuckled, standing up too.

They went out the door and walked downstairs, into the kitchen. Max was waiting for them at the door.

"Thank the heavens. I thought I was going to have to cook." Max said, putting away a box of cereal.

"Elisabeth wanted to spare you the humiliation, but I was all for sleeping all morning and letting you cook. She convinced me to come downstairs. She told me to think about poor Dr. Martinez having to drive everyone to the hospital due to food poisoning."

Iggy ducked the punch Max sent his way.

"Hey, I was just kidding." he said. "And anyway Elisabeth's the one who said it first."

Max rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen.

Iggy laughed, until Elisabeth slapped him.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, holding his hand to his cheek. Elisabeth's hand had left a mark.

"For being a jerk." she said. She rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek. "Big baby." she muttered.

Iggy shook his head and went to work on the pancakes.

Elisabeth hopped up on the counter and watched him.

He was so sure of everything when he cooked. He knew exactly what he was doing. It was fun to watch Iggy cook. It was beautiful; magical. It was poetry in motion.

Iggy would make a great chef one day, if they could just get rid of the Director and have a normal life. He'd be one of the greats.

She thought about herself. She wasn't so sure what she'd do. She might become a teacher, a doctor, or a scientist. She'd try to help the world. There was just so much she could do. She hoped that one day the whole flock would be able to do whatever they wanted. She hoped that their children and grandchildren could have totally normal lives.

_That is if we make it to adulthood. _

_Don't say that Elisabeth. _Angel's voice whispered inside her head. _We'll make it._

_Morning Ange. What do you wanna do today? _

_Max is thinking about having combat practice. She says we need the training, especially you._

_Yeah, well tell her that's an excellent idea._

_Okay. I really wanna go swimming afterwards though._

_You'll have to talk to Max._

_She says we can't. There's too big of a chance that someone might see us._

_She has a point._

_Yeah, but the neighbors aren't here. They're on vacation. Anyway, if anyone saw us I could just "convince" them that what they're seeing is just due to too much stress. They'll think they're working too hard and maybe take a nap._

_Well, I don't know. Ask Max again._

"Hey Elisabeth, you okay?" Iggy asked.

She looked up. He was standing next to her, leaning on the counter, holding a spatula. He had some pancake batter in a skillet and a whole stack of pancakes on a plate.

"Huh?"

"You looked kinda zoned out. I was worried."

"Oh, I'm fine. Just talking to Angel. She says Max is thinking about having a little training session later."

He flipped the pancakes over. "Oh, is that all?"

"She wants to go swimming."

"Who? Max?" he said, frowning.

"No." She laughed. "Angel."

"Oh. Well, the pancakes are almost finished. Could you set the table and get everyone downstairs?" he asked.

She jumped off the counter and said, "On it."

She opened one of the cabinets and grabbed some plates. She walked into the dining room and laid them all out. She walked back into the kitchen and grabbed some forks and glasses and set those on the table too.

She walked upstairs and knocked on the Gasman's door first. He didn't answer, so she opened the door.

Gazzy was sitting on his bed, tangled in wires.

"What're you doing Gaz?" she asked curiously.

"Working on a new bomb. I was going to ask Iggy for help, but Max said he was cooking and I didn't want to bug him."

"Well, maybe I can help." she said, walking towards him.

"No, that's ok. I'll work on it later. I'm really hungry."

"Well, c'mon then. Iggy's got pancakes waiting."

"Can you help me get untangled?" Gazzy asked, sheepishly.

Elisabeth laughed and said, "Sure."

It took a few minutes, but she finally managed to get the Gasman untangled.

"Thanks." he said, heading down the stairs.

Elisabeth turned towards the bathroom. She knocked on the door and a few seconds later, Fang opened the door.

"Iggy's got breakfast." she said.

"Thanks." he mumbled, walking out.

He had obviously just taken a shower because his hair was dripping onto the carpet.

"No problem." She shrugged. "Try not to get my feet wet."

He smirked and shook his head really hard, sending water droplets flying and hitting her.

"You're so gonna pay." she joked.

"Oh yeah? What're you going to do, baby sis? Gonna cry to Iggy?"

"No, big bro, I'll whop your butt at combat practice."

"Combat practice?" he asked.

"Angel says Max is thinking about having combat practice. She thinks we could all use it."

Fang nodded and headed downstairs.

Elisabeth followed him, but headed to the basement where Angel, Nudge, and Ella slept.

She opened the door and found Max, arguing with Angel about swimming.

"Come on Max." Angel begged.

"We'll talk about it later. Go on up and get some breakfast before Gaz and Total eat all of it."

Angel smiled at Elisabeth as she headed upstairs.

Max crossed the room and said, "I already sent Nudge and Ella up." She frowned and then asked, "Why are you wet?"

Elisabeth laughed and replied, "Fang."

"Oh." Max shook her head, laughing. "Well, let's go upstairs."

The two girls headed towards the dining room and sat down in the usual seats; Max, in between Fang and Ella and across from her mom and Elisabeth, in between Iggy and Angel and across from Nudge.

"Looks good, Ig." Max said, digging in.

"Thanks. Now, Elisabeth said that Angel said that you were thinking about combat practice."

Max nodded. "When we're finished eating we'll go into the woods. Then when you and Elisabeth get back from band practice at six…we'll go swimming." she said, reluctantly.

"Yay!" Angel squealed.

They had a long day ahead of them.

**How was that? I hope you liked it. Keep reading and reviewing and please, please, please let me know if you have any ideas. Thanks guys! I'll try to have another chapter real soon. As soon as I think of what's going to happen during combat practice.**


	44. Chapter 43

**Hey guys. This might be my last chapter for a while. I have exams coming up and then I'm going on a three day trip to D.C. on the 19th. Needless to say, I don't have a whole lot of time on my hands. I'm also going to be taking a little break to try and come up with some ideas for the story. I'm also thinking about doing a sequel and I have a couple of ideas for that. The sequel won't be coming up for a long while, but it's good to be prepared. Who knows, I might have a couple of sequels. We'll just have to see. Alright, this chapter is all about combat practice. I tried really hard to make this chapter awesome. I think I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself. Well, here we go guys. Chapter 43 for your reading pleasure.**

After everyone finished breakfast, they headed outside. Ella decided she'd join them. She thought it would be fun to watch and Max gave in.

It was a beautiful, clear morning. It was an excellent day for flying, swimming, or just sitting outside. The trees were swaying in the wind. Everything was calm and peaceful. The only sound they heard was children laughing and birds chirping. It was the perfect day.

Since Ella couldn't fly, they had to walk. It was slower, but they could enjoy the scenery more.

They made their way into the woods and stopped in a clearing. It was the perfect place to practice. No trees and plenty of space.

Everyone sat down and waited for Max to get started with the lesson.

"Okay guys." Max said turning to everyone. "I'm going to demonstrate a few simple moves for Elisabeth. I know she could just memorize the theory, but with fighting it's better to see what you're supposed to do. I don't want her getting in a fight with a whitecoat not knowing what the heck she's doing. Alright now let's get started. Fang come here."

Fang walked towards Max and got in a fighting stance. He already knew the drill, having done this countless times so Max could teach the younger kids.

"Alright, first I'm going to show you guys a roundhouse kick. Fang, I don't want you to block yet."

Fang nodded and braced his self.

Max swung her foot at his chest and knocked him back several paces. She knocked the wind out of him, but other than that he seemed to be fine.

"Notice how Fang isn't hurt? That's because we're stronger than average humans. If I did that to a whitecoat he would've went flying across this clearing. Okay, any questions on how I did that?" She paused. No one said anything so she continued. "Okay Fang, now this time I want you to block."

Fang nodded and braced his self again. This time when Max swung her foot, he caught it and dragged her to the ground.

"Nice job." Max said, getting up.

"I think he went to easy on you Max." Iggy teased.

Max ignored him and demonstrated several more moves. After each move, Fang taught them how to block. They never really hurt each other, mostly they just knocked the wind out of each other.

"Okay." Max said, getting to her feet for the umpteenth time. "I think you got it. Uh…alright, now I guess I'll pair you up so you can practice."

She looked around for a minute and then continued. "Alright, Gaz with Angel, Iggy with Nudge, and Elisabeth with Fang. That seems fair enough. I'll watch and then later, we'll switch it up a little."

Everyone got with their partner and walked off on their own.

Fang turned to Elisabeth and smirked. "You know why Max paired you with me right?"

"Yeah. 'cause she knew you wouldn't go easy on me." Elisabeth replied.

"Yeah, but also because you'd learn more from me." he bragged. "I'm a master."

"Yeah?" Elisabeth asked. "Well master this." She sent a roundhouse kick straight to his chest, knocking him down on the hard ground. She had caught him off guard.

_Awesome. _She thought.

"Pretty good." Fang said, shrugging. He stood up and wiped the dirt off of his pants. "Try not to get too full of yourself. You won't be able to do that again."

Fang had been right. Elisabeth had not been able to lay a hand on him from that moment on. He always blocked her.

On the other hand, Fang hadn't been very successful either. He only managed to hit her twice. The first time, he dislocated her shoulder and everyone had to stop while Iggy popped it back in place. The second time ,however, he only sent her staggering back a few steps.

"Okay, guys. Stop!" Max yelled, suddenly.

Everyone stopped and turned to her.

"Time for a little partner switch." she announced. "Alright, this time I'm with Fang, Elisabeth's with Iggy, Angel can sit down and rest, and Nudge and Gazzy are partners. Alright, go ahead."

Elisabeth walked over to Iggy, who was grinning slyly.

"Hey hon, don't worry. I'll go easier on you than Fang. I promise you won't dislocate your shoulder." He got in a fighting stance and waited for her to respond.

"Yeah, well hon, I can't promise that you won't dislocate yours." With that, she aimed a powerful blow to his stomach.

He doubled over in pain and groaned in agony. "Jesus. Could you have possibly hit me any harder?"

"Yeah, but I thought I'd go easy on you." she joked.

"Lucky me." he replied sarcastically, straightening back up. "Okay, my turn to get you." He shot straight up in the air and dove straight for her. Elisabeth moved out of the way, but he still managed to tackle her.

"Alright, alright." she said. "You got me, okay. Now get off." She tried to shove him off, but he wouldn't budge.

"Not so fast. I still haven't gotten you back for the first day of school when you rode shot gun with Max." he said, grinning a goofy grin. He looked mischievous.

"So you're getting me back by sitting on me?" she asked, confused.

"No, by tickling you."

"But you're not…" Iggy's hands came at her and he attacked. "No. Cut it out!" She shouted as he tickled her. She was laughing so hard she was gasping for breath and tears were coming out of her eyes. No matter how much she begged Iggy wouldn't stop.

"Please…I'm…begging…" she gasped. "If…you l…love me…at all…For…the…love of…"

Iggy just laughed, that is until Max got mad.

"There is no tickling in war!" she shouted. "Iggy cut it out! We have to practice!"

Iggy sighed, stopped tickling Elisabeth, kissed her on the lips, got up, and then helped her up.

Elisabeth caught her breath and said, "Ig, you are a complete…_arse_."

"I'm a what?" he asked, grinning. "I didn't catch that."

She leaned towards him and whispered, "You're an arse."

"Still didn't catch that."

"An…ass." she said loudly enough so that only he could here.

"Well why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

"Well, if the two love birds are done arguing," Max yelled. "I think we should get back to practicing."

A thought just occurred to Elisabeth.

"Hey Max, what time is it?" she asked.

"Fang, what time is it?" Max asked Fang, the only one with a watch.

He rolled his eyes and looked at his watch. "Holy crap, it's three!"

"We gotta motor." Iggy said. "We're gonna be so freakin' late."

"Get going." Max yelled. "We'll see you guys later."

Elisabeth and Iggy took off running. They had totally forgotten about band practice.

"Hayley's gonna kill us." Elisabeth said, jumping over Total who was sleeping under a tree in the yard.

"Less talk more run!" Iggy said as they headed up the street.

It was just another one of those days.

**Alright, that was a pretty sucky ending, but the rest was pretty good. Sorry about that. As I said before, this is probably my last post for awhile, but I might get the swimming chapter up next week. I would love a whole bunch of reviews waiting for me when I get back on. Again, if you have any ideas PM me or leave your idea in a review. I swear I will credit you. TTYL.**


	45. Chapter 44

**What's up guys? Ready for an update? Good. Okay, in this chapter the flock goes swimming. This is going to be pretty hilarious. Oh, I want to make a note concerning my sequels. There will be two of them. Not going to give away any details, but they're going to be pretty awesome. I may need someone to help me write one of them, but I'll worry about that when I'm finished with this story. I'll let you guys know when I need help with that story later on. Okay then, let's get started.**

"CANNONBALL!" Gazzy shouted jumping in the pool and making a big splash, soaking everyone.

They had been swimming for half an hour. Max had insisted on waiting on Iggy and Elisabeth to come home from band practice. She had wanted to stall as much as possible.

"Watch it!" Total yelled as Gaz resurfaced. "I hate getting wet. You know that." Total trotted over to Dr. Martinez, crawled under her chair, and went back to sleep. In the two years they had been living with Dr. Martinez and Ella, Total had gotten lazy.

Iggy busted out with laughter while Max, Fang, and Elisabeth rolled their eyes.

Elisabeth, Fang, and Max were all sitting on the edge of the pool. They didn't like swimming that much. However, everyone else was enjoying themselves.

Iggy would splash Elisabeth, teasing her, but he couldn't persuade her to jump in. Her reason, she said, was that she had already made enough of a fool of herself the last time she went swimming with him.

"You didn't make a fool out of yourself." he had said. "You looked cute with your hair all wet and out of breath." he had whispered.

She shook her head, turning away, and mumbled something about looking like a drowned rat.

Iggy had laughed, but left her alone for a while. He didn't want to aggravate her too much. The last time he did that she hadn't talked to him for days.

That was Elisabeth's problem. She never loosened up, at least not in front of the flock. When Iggy was alone with her, he saw a side of her that she hid from the world. She was so…full of life. She loved to laugh and have a good time, but only when she was alone with him.

_Don't worry about her too much Iggy. _Angel said. _She's been through a lot. We all have. You bring out the person she used to be. You're the reason for the smile on her face. She loves you Ig. Don't forget that._

_Thanks Angel. I needed that._

_No prob. Now watch out. Gazzy's about to make another cannonball._

Iggy quickly swam to the edge of the pool and hopped out just as Gazzy dove in.

_That was a close one._

"Hey Gaz!" Iggy shouted. "Watch out!"

The Gasman laughed and said, "Oops. Sorry Ig."

Next to Iggy, Elisabeth giggled. Now that sounded more like the girl he loved. Her face flashed through his head. Angel had sent him a mental picture. If she could see herself the way everyone saw her, the way he saw her, she'd know how perfect she was.

"What're you thinking about?" she whispered in his ear. She placed her hand on top of his and he felt a shiver go up his spine.

"Nothing. Just thinking about making hamburgers for dinner. That's all." he lied.

She shook her head and muttered, "Boys.".

He chuckled and muttered, "Girls.".

She punched him lightly on his shoulder and he leaned in close to her and kissed her forehead.

"Eww." Gazzy said. "Gross. Kissing."

"Shut up Gaz." Angel said, shoving her brother into the pool.

Everyone laughed as Gazzy came up, sputtering.

"Serves you right." Max said, laughing too.

"Alright, everyone out of the pool. It's getting late and I think you're all tired and hungry." Dr. Martinez said, standing up.

Everyone groaned, but got up and trudged inside.

As Elisabeth started to walk towards the front door, Iggy pulled her back.

"What?" she asked curiously.

He smiled mischievously and whispered, "You know what.".

She knew that look on his face. She leaned in towards him and he wrapped her in his arms.

"Gaz kinda ruined it before." he whispered, his breath tickling her face.

She closed her eyes as he leaned closer toward her and kissed her.

Just as soon as they started, Elisabeth felt a tap on her shoulder. She pulled away, reluctantly, and saw Fang standing right next to her.

"What?" Iggy and Elisabeth asked in unison.

"Just thought you'd like to know that everyone is watching this touching moment." He moved over to reveal the whole flock, Dr. Martinez, Ella, and Total standing in the doorway, grinning and giggling.

To everyone's surprise, including her own, Elisabeth shrugged and went right back to kissing Iggy.

_That's my girl. _Iggy thought.

**Alright guys, that's the end of this chapter. It was really short, but it was another filler. I thought it was kind of sweet and funny. I won't be updating for a while. Like I said, I have exams and a trip to D.C. coming up. I'll update when I get back from the trip, I promise. I would really love some reviews waiting for me when I get back on. It would make me feel loved and special. Well, I'll be updating around the 22nd. Review please. Thanks.**


	46. Chapter 45

**Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter. I know you guys missed me. Well, anyway in this chapter things start to get a little crazy. Something bad is going to happen and this is basically a very key chapter because it shapes the rest of the story. For everyone who has been reading these notes, you know that I wasn't sure where this story was headed. Well, I've fixed that, mostly. I still need to come up with an ending, but other than that I have everything else planned out. Well, here's the chapter you've been waiting…two weeks for…at least I think it's been two weeks. Oh well, here it is anyway. Enjoy!**

It was another dull Monday full of lectures and work. Somehow everyone had managed to survive until lunch. They all sat down at the usual table. Elisabeth, Iggy, Fang, Max, Caressa, Colten, Chris, and Kylie. Everyone was there, sort of.

Max, Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth weren't really paying attention to the conversations that were going on. They were too busy looking around the cafeteria, surveying.

"Hello. Earth to Max, Jeff, Elisabeth, and Nick." Chris said, waving her hand in front of Max's face. "You guys ok?"

"Huh?" Max asked, coming back to Earth. "Oh, sorry."

"What is up with you guys? You've been jumpy and paranoid all day." Colten said, shoving a slice of burnt pizza in his mouth.

"It's nothing." Fang said, hurriedly. "Just kinda tired."

"Okay, if you're sure." Caressa said, eyeing them suspiciously.

They went back to their conversations, so Fang decided to talk to the older members of the flock.

"Listen guys," he whispered, "I think we need to have a talk with Dr. Mull- I mean Mom. See what she thinks about the message. She might know what to do."

Max nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me. We'll talk to her after school. We'll go down to her classroom as soon as we get Ella and Nudge."

"Okay. I really need to talk to her." Elisabeth said, in a silent whisper.

Iggy grabbed her hand and murmured something in her ear that no one could hear. She nodded and whispered, "I know. Don't worry.".

The bell rang and everyone went off to class.

Elisabeth and Iggy headed to their Honors Algebra III class.

"Ig, what you said five minutes ago, well you know I'm not leaving. You're not the only one who never breaks a promise you know."

He sighed and said, "Yeah, I know. But I had to make sure you weren't thinking about getting your mom to help you leave. I just don't like to think about waking up one morning and finding out that you left."

She kissed him on the cheek and whispered, "I'm not going anywhere. A promise is a promise. Just, remember your promise."

They had reached their classroom and Elisabeth pulled open the door. They walked to their seats and class began.

Iggy began thinking of the promise that he had almost forgotten. He had been hoping that he'd never have to carry it out, but the more he thought about it, the more he began to see that he probably would have to go through with it.

He didn't want to have to kill her if she turned full super-computer, but she had practically begged him too and he knew that the only way she'd stay was if he promised he would. He was trapped.

Suddenly the bell rang, signaling the end of another day in hell.

_Mondays suck. _Iggy thought, bitterly.

About fifteen minutes later, everyone was gathered in front of Max's locker, backpacks slung over their shoulders.

"Alright guys, c'mon, let's go down to her classroom. She should still be there." Max said, and they all followed her down the hall.

They got down to Dr. Mullins class and found the door closed. That was unusual. She usually had the door open just in case one of them decided to visit her.

Max turned to Fang, who shrugged and knocked on the door.

The door opened and Mr. Webb, the usual substitute, stared at them.

"What're you kids doing down here? School's over. Shouldn't you be walking home?" he asked, suspiciously.

"We came to see Miss Arnold." Fang answered.

"Well, she isn't here. She never showed up this morning. Didn't call in sick or anything. Can I be of some help?"

"No thanks Mr. Webb. That's okay. See you later." Max said, turning around and walked up the hall, the flock trailing behind her.

"What was that all about?" Nudge asked.

"I don't know. It's not like Dr. Mullins to just not show up without calling in." Max said.

"You're right Max, it's not like her." Elisabeth said. "Maybe we should go to her house and check up on her."

"I guess we could." Max said. She turned to Ella. "Ella, I need you to pick up Angel and Gaz and take them home ok."

"Sure thing Max." Ella said. She turned around and ran for the elementary school.

"Okay guys, let's go." Max said.

They turned onto the familiar road leading to Dr. Mullins' house. It didn't take them long to get to the end of the road, walk all the way up the hill, and get to her house.

They walked up the porch steps and rang the doorbell. There was no answer. They knocked on the door. No answer.

"Dr. Mullins!" Max shouted, knocking on the door.

"Mom?" Elisabeth called. "Hello?"

"I don't think anyone's in there." Iggy said, pressing his ear to the door to see if he could hear any movement inside.

"Now what?" Nudge asked.

"I don't know sweetie." Max whispered.

"Hey, what's this?" Fang asked, lifting up a corner of the matt.

It was a white envelope addressed to the Flock.

"Open it." Max said.

Fang ripped off the top of the envelope and pulled out the message. "It says: 'We told you so.'"

"They've taken her." Max realized.

Elisabeth leaned her head on Iggy's shoulder and muttered, "It's my fault. All my fault."

Max looked at all of the flock, horror on their faces.

_Great. This is just great. _Max thought. _Now what're we supposed to do?_

_You know the answer Maximum. _The Voice jumped in. _You have to save her._

And Max knew it was right.

**Okay, that was pretty good. Now, the next chapter will be posted sometime this weekend. Loads more Iggabeth to come, maybe some Fax too. We'll see. This story is really coming together. It's amazing to write. Who knows, maybe I'll be an author someday. I hope so. I just love writing this story so much. I'll be sad when it's finished, but there'll always be the sequels. Keep reviewing guys. You know how much I love it when you do. See you on the flip side. (I've always wanted to say that for some reason)**


	47. Chapter 46

**Hey guys. Thank you so much for your reviews. I'm glad you all think I'll be a great author. That means a whole lot. I send you all virtual cookies and hugs. Just to let everyone know, I have finally come up with an ending for this story and have already written the prologue and first couple of chapters for my first sequel. I'm not giving away any details about the sequel yet. You'll just have to be patient and wait. I have actually convinced one of my friends to help me write the story so that's really good. Anyway, let me just get on with this chapter before you die of agony.**

Max had a huge decision to make. What was she going to do about Dr. Mullins? She wasn't going to make the same mistake she made when Elisabeth was kidnapped. No, they would go straight after Dr. Mullins just as soon as they got Angel and the Gasman. But what were they going to when they got to New Jersey?

_Don't worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting there. You'll wing it when we get to the School just like always. _Max told herself.

"Okay guys." Max announced. "We're going after her just as soon as we get Angel and Gazzy. I promise." she said, looking in Elisabeth and Iggy's direction.

"Does that mean you have a plan?" Nudge asked curiously.

Max nodded, but caught Fang's eye. She knew that he knew that she didn't have a plan. But he wasn't going to say anything as usual. Just like everyone else in the flock, Fang looked to Max to make up a plan. If she didn't have one he assumed she was coming up with one.

"We'll get her Elisabeth, don't worry. She'll be fine." Max heard Iggy whisper to Elisabeth, who was still in his arms. She didn't realize that they were having a conversation of their own.

_Don't they remind you of anyone? _the Voice interjected.

_What are you talking about? _Max asked, half annoyed and half curious.

_Come on Maximum. Don't you see it? They act like you and Fang. Just like you and Fang._

_What?! Are you crazy? We don't act like that?_

_Of course you do. Having their own conversations, the concerned way Iggy acts toward Elisabeth, he comforts her, the way she looks at him, the way he talks to her, the way they hold their selves. It's all the same body language that you and Fang use._

"Shut up." Max muttered out loud, making everyone stare at her.

Max caught Fang's gaze and blushed. "Stupid Voice." she mumbled angrily. She shook her head and then said, "Well are we going to save Dr. Mullins or what?"

She checked to make sure no one was looking and took off. The others soon joined her in the air and they headed home.

_Stupid Voice. I hate it. Fang and I don't act the way Iggy and Elisabeth do. They kiss._

_Fang and I have kissed._

_But Iggy and Elisabeth are in love._

_But Fang and I are…_

_Not in love. See?_

_But maybe…_

"Max?" Nudge asked, coasting alongside her. "You okay?"

"Of course." Max nodded. "I'm fine. Why?"

"No reason. It just seemed like… Never mind. I'm just glad you're okay." Nudge said, pulling back to fly with Iggy and Elisabeth.

_Just concentrate on rescuing Dr. Mullins, Max. That's what you need to do. I'm not letting anyone else in this flock down. What I did to Iggy was terrible. I never want another member of my flock to have to go through something like that. Iggy was a wreck. He almost killed his self. All because I wouldn't help him. _

_Well, this time, I'm going to do what needs to be done. We'll get Gaz and Angel, maybe Total, and go straight after her. No stops unless it's absolutely necessary. We should be able to make it by nightfall._

Max looked down below her. She saw the woods behind their house. Just up ahead she could see the pool in the back yard.

_Time to land. _She thought, diving downward. The others followed her and they landed just at the edge of the woods. She had a perfect view of the house.

They ran inside, panting, and went straight in the living room.

Angel and Gaz were sitting on the couch watching TV. They looked up when they heard the flock come in.

"What's wrong?" Gazzy asked, hopping off the couch.

"Dr. Mullins is gone and we're getting her back. Now." Max said. "Come on. We don't have a moment to loose."

Without another word, the flock ran out of the house, into the woods, and took off into the sky.

**Okay, technically that was another filler. I know it was kind of crappy, but it was an attempt at Fax. For some reason, Fax is too hard for me to do. Maybe it's because Fang and Max are really confused about how they feel so it makes it hard for me to write Fax when I'm confused about what should happen. I didn't delete this chapter because you all have been waiting for Fax for so long. After that, everything kind of went downhill. I swear the next chapter will be tons better. TONS. Review if you think you can say anything good about this terrible attempt at some Fax. I apologize.**


	48. Chapter 47

**Okay guys, time for another update. I was going to make a couple of chapters about their journey to New Jersey, but I decided not to. In this chapter, they're already there and have split up. These next couple of chapters are very emotional, sad, and heart wrenching. Everything is about to change. Loads of things are about to happen as my fan fiction comes to a close. Don't worry though, I still have quite a few chapters to go. Well, here we go with Chapter 47. Enjoy.**

As Max had hoped, the flock had made it to New Jersey by nightfall. They had infiltrated the School and had, grudgingly, split up. This was the only logical way to find Dr. Mullins easily.

Iggy and Elisabeth decided to check down in the basement. It seemed like a good place to start so, they made their way down the dark staircase.

To their surprise, the door was unlocked. They opened it slowly and stepped inside.

There was no one in the room. Some chairs were knocked over, but otherwise the room looked like it hadn't been disturbed since the flock had rescued Elisabeth two years earlier.

"Guess she isn't down here." Iggy said, turning back towards the stairs.

Elisabeth grabbed his arm and he turned his head around.

"Not so fast Iggy." she said. "There's a door in here. It's like a closet. Let's check it out."

She lead him to the other side of the room and he heard her turn a knob on a door he couldn't see.

"She's in here." Elisabeth said. "She's out cold."

Dr. Mullins was slumped over, tied, and gagged. She had several bruises on her body. She looked terrible, but at least she was alive.

"I'm going to try and wake her up." Elisabeth whispered and Iggy nodded.

Elisabeth knelt down, untied her mom's hands, took the cloth out of her mouth, and shook her gently.

"Mom. Mom. Come on. You have to wake up." Elisabeth shook her harder. She still wouldn't wake up. Elisabeth did the only other possible thing she could do. She slapped her hard across the face.

It had worked. Dr. Mullins stirred and then cracked open her eyes, moaning.

"Elisabeth? Iggy? Is that you guys?" Dr. Mullins asked.

"Yeah, it's us. We're here to rescue you." Iggy replied.

Dr. Mullins' eyes went wide. "No. You have to leave. Is the rest of the flock here?"

"Yeah, they're looking for you." Elisabeth answered confused.

"Go find them and get out of here. This is all a trap. The Director-" There was a huge crash.

"What was that?" Iggy asked.

"No idea." Elisabeth replied. "Listen Mom, please come with us. We have to get you out of here. I won't leave without you."

Dr. Mullins sighed. "Fine. But you have to listen to me. If I tell you to run, I want you to run. No questions."

"Deal." Elisabeth said.

They got out of the closet and headed upstairs.

The scene that met them was horrible. Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel were locked in combat with a bunch of whitecoats.

"Help!" Nudge shouted and Elisabeth, Iggy, and Dr. Mullins joined the fight.

Not long after, Fang and Max joined them, but they were still outnumbered.

"This isn't working!" Iggy shouted.

"I told you that you should have left me!" Dr. Mullins yelled.

A door was kicked open and suddenly the Director was in the room, with a machine gun.

"I'm finally going to get rid of all of you." The Director said, aiming the gun at Elisabeth. "Starting with you."

Dr. Mullins jumped in front of Elisabeth. "Don't you dare touch my daughter."

"Your daughter?" The Director asked, smiling evilly. "How sweet. You can die after her."

"No!" Elisabeth cried.

"Max," Dr. Mullins said, "Take the flock and run. Get everyone out of here."

Max nodded but, Elisabeth screamed.

"No Mom! I won't leave you!"

"You said you'd do whatever I asked. I promise sweetie. Everything's gonna be okay."

"You're lying." Elisabeth said, crying.

"Iggy, take her and go!" Dr. Mullins shouted.

Iggy wrapped his arms around her and dragged her off, kicking and screaming.

"Iggy, calm her down." Max said, as they ran to the elevator.

"Don't you think I'm trying?" Iggy said. "Calm down Elisabeth. Nothing bad is gonna happen."

Before they could climb in the elevator, a shot fired.

"No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Elisabeth screamed. She was hysterical.

Iggy pulled her into the elevator with the rest of the flock.

She dropped to the ground and started sobbing and shaking.

Iggy knelt down next to her, trying to comfort her, but she jerked away from him.

"Leave me alone!" she yelled. "I hate you! I hate all of you!"

"You don't mean that." Iggy whispered.

"Yes I do! I wish I never met any of you! I wish you never rescued me!"

"Elisabeth," Angel said, dropping down next to her, "It's not your fault."

"She's dead Angel. My mom is dead. Of course it's my fault. I just want my Mom!" She started crying again.

Then, Fang did something he had rarely ever done to anyone before. He knelt down and held his sister in his arms.

"She'd want you to be strong. She'd want you to go on."

"How'd you know what she'd want? You didn't know her! You knew nothing about her!" She jerked away from him too.

The elevator stopped and Iggy had to drag Elisabeth outside.

"Elisabeth, this is ridiculous." Max yelled. "We have to go home now! We'll call Jeb! How do you know she's dead? Maybe the Director missed! Maybe Dr. Mullins shot the Director! There's no use crying about it until we find out what happened! So, come on. We need to get home!"

She took off into the sky. The flock, including Elisabeth, followed her home.

When they got back, Max called Jeb.

He said, that a contact of his saw everything. Dr. Mullins had indeed been shot by the Director. Her last act in life had been protecting her children and their friends.

Elisabeth was crying in her room when Max found her.

She handed her the phone and said, "It's Jeb. He wants to talk to you."

She turned and walked out of the room. She headed downstairs, where the whole flock, her mom, and Ella were mourning the loss of Dr. Mullins.

In the past couple of years, they had all come to love her as much as they loved Dr. Martinez. She had become a part of their lives. She came over for dinner twice a week and would help them with some of their school assignments.

Max sat down on the couch next to Gazzy, who laid his head in her lap. Tears were streaming down his face.

"It's not fair Max." he muttered.

"I know."

"Why does this kind of stuff always have to happen to us? Why can't Itex and the School just leave us alone? We're just kids. What'd we ever do to them?"

Max stroked his hair. "I don't know Gaz. I just don't know."

**The end of another chapter. Told you everything was going to change. That was pretty sad and depressing. I'm sorry to say that this is the way my next few chapters are going to be. Keep reading and reviewing. I'll update soon.**


	49. Chapter 48

**Here's another chapter for all of you good people out there in cyberspace. This is another filler chapter, but soon things are going to get crazier. I'm not revealing anything though. Sadly, this fanfic should be finished sometime in February. On the plus side, that means that I can go ahead with my sequel. YAY! Well, anyway, here's Chapter 48. I hope you like it. Not much really happens. It's sort of short.**

There was school the day after Dr. Mullins died. It didn't seem possible that the world could go on. Shouldn't everything have stopped? How could the world continue without one of the bravest, kindest, hard working people in it? Didn't they care? No, because they didn't really know who she was. The world now knew her as Debra Arnold, the ninth grade creative writing teacher at Livingston Jr. Sr. High School. As far as they knew, Dr. Charlotte Mullins never existed.

When Max, Elisabeth, Iggy, Nudge, Ella, and Fang got to school, everyone was gathered around the flagpole. They walked through the crowd until they found Colten, Caressa, Chris, and Kylie.

"What's going on?" Max asked Chris.

"Didn't you hear? Miss Arnold was killed in a car wreck. She was hit by a drunk driver somewhere." she replied.

That was the story. A drunk driver had killed her. That was the whole cover up.

Mr. Grayson walked in the middle of the crowd and asked everyone to listen to him.

"An unfortunate tragedy has just struck our school. Miss Debra Arnold was killed by a drunk driver…" He continued his speech, but to the flock it was just a bunch of words. Meaningless. Mr. Grayson was talking about Debra Arnold, not Charlotte Mullins.

Elisabeth cried the whole time while Iggy held her. It was all he could do. Nothing else worked. She wouldn't talk anymore. She just sat and cried.

When Mr. Grayson was finished, everyone went inside the school, except for Iggy, Elisabeth, Max, Nudge, Ella, and Fang.

"Ig, listen. I don't think Elisabeth can make it through today. Take her home okay. You can stay with her if you want." Max sighed.

"Okay Max." Iggy replied. "Come on Elisabeth." he said, turning her. "Let's go home."

She nodded and followed him, silently.

When they got home, Elisabeth sat down on the front porch steps.

"Do you want me to go?" Iggy asked, hesitating.

She shook her head. "No. I need you to stay." It was the first sentence she uttered since she was panicking in the elevator.

He sat next to her and held her. She had stopped crying and wasn't shaking.

After a long silence Elisabeth said, "Iggy, promise you'll love me no matter what."

Iggy, puzzled, replied, "I promise. Why?"

She sighed and said, "And promise me that if anything ever happens to me that you'll remember me this way."

"I promise. Now are you going to tell me why I'm promising this stuff?"

"I love you so much Iggy. You have no idea." she mumbled.

Her lips found his and she kissed him as if she was kissing him for the last time.

**See, I told you it was going to be short. Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter even though absolutely nothing happened and it was very depressing. Well, I'm done for now. Updates will come soon. Keep reading and reviewing. Thanks.**


	50. Chapter 49

**Okay guys I'm here with another update. In this chapter, we go back to the Director. As you know, she has killed Dr. Mullins and basically ruined Elisabeth's life. In this chapter, you find out why. This is another filler. It's also a linking chapter. You'll see what I mean when I post Chapter 50. For those of you who keep reading these notes, the sequel is coming along great. I'm still not telling you anything, but you have to trust me on this: You'll love it. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Well, here's Chapter 49 for all of you amazing people out there. Enjoy!**

The Director was sitting in her office when she heard an echoing knock. She pressed a button on her desk and the door swung open.

Heather walked in, wearing a confused expression.

"Mom, you won't believe what I just heard." Heather said, approaching the desk.

The Director looked up at her daughter. "What did you hear?" she asked, pretending to be shocked. Of course the idiots who called themselves scientists couldn't keep their big mouths shut around her daughter. Oh well, Heather had to learn that sometimes being the Director meant that she had to do some unpleasant things. It was for the good of the world. It had to be done.

Heather sat down at the chair in front of her mother's desk and took a huge, deep breath. "They said you killed that woman, Dr. Mullins or whatever."

The Director nodded her head. "Yes, it's true."

Heather stared at her mother in complete shock. "Why?" she asked finally.

"It's quite simple. I had to. It was all part of the plan."

"But, I thought the plan was to lure the flock here by kidnapping Dr. Mullins. How did you end up killing her?" Heather asked.

The Director shook her head. "That was Plan A. I never actually thought that it was going to work. I only tried it in case there was any chance that I could avoid killing anyone. All along, I knew I was going to have to kill her."

"So then, what was the real plan?"

"You'll see soon." The Director replied. She wasn't going to tell Heather just yet. She might let something slip.

"Just one more question Mom." Heather said.

"Yes?" The Director asked.

"Am I going to have to do stuff like this when I take over?"

"Yes. You'll be faced with many important decisions. I trust that, when the time comes, you'll make the right ones. You need to work for the greater good. You'll probably feel guilty the first time you have to kill someone, but you will see that it's all for a good cause." The Director finished her speech.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that." Heather replied seriously.

"You will be one day."

Heather nodded, stood up, walked out of the office, and shut the door behind her.

The Director went back to her work.

She was proud of Heather. In the last couple of years she had grown up. She was starting to think more about her future. She was going to make a great Director one day. The Director wasn't worried about her daughter anymore. Heather would have an easy job after the Director's plan was set in place.

_Everything is set in place. All the pawns are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. Elisabeth's emotions should be too hard for her to handle soon. She'll be mine soon enough. Then, the rest of the flock will fall._

**That's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it. It was another short chapter, but I think it was pretty good. Well, keep reading and please, please leave some reviews. Updates are coming at you fast!**


	51. Chapter 50

**See, I told you I'd update really soon. This chapter was really difficult to write and you'll see why eventually. Well, I'm going to go ahead and get started. Enjoy!**

Two weeks had gone by. Little by little, Elisabeth started getting back to normal. She was 98% her old self again. She had started talking, eating, and sleeping again. The only difference was she was a little more jumpy than usual.

But, that was only on the outside. On the inside, she was a complete wreck. She was hurting more than anyone knew. She had to keep Angel out of her head, otherwise she'd know what she was going to do.

She was going to run away.

She couldn't stay. She couldn't keep her promise to Iggy. Everything that had happened just hurt her too bad. The phone call from Jeb had only made things much worse.

She had thought about it over and over and she knew that she had to go through with her plan. She couldn't stay here anymore. It was just too painful.

Being around Iggy only hurt her more because she knew she was going to have to leave him. She'd make him feel just like she felt. Hurt, upset, like dying.

Every time he smiled at her it broke her heart because she knew she'd never see him smile like that again. The laughing was the worst though. It sounded so happy and it hurt because she knew she was going to hurt him.

So, that night, Elisabeth grabbed her sweatshirt and some money.

_Why does this seem familiar? _She asked herself sarcastically.

She wasn't going to make the same mistakes she made last time. This time she wasn't going to try and leave a note in Iggy's room. That was the reason she hadn't gotten away last time. This time she was just going to leave the note on her bed.

_They'll find it when Iggy comes in to check on me in the morning. _

She pulled on her sweatshirt, opened the window, and sailed out into the night.

_Next stop: New Jersey. _She thought bitterly.

**Okay, really short. Next chapter will be much longer. Anyway, keep reading, reviewing, and all that fun stuff. Updating soon.**


	52. Chapter 51

**Hey guys. It's me again. Thought I should go ahead and update. I can't believe I've written 51 chapters. It's just really amazing. Anyway, here's Chapter 51 for you guys. Hope you like it. It's long, I promise.**

Everything was slowly going back to normal. Elisabeth was talking more, eating, and sleeping again. She seemed to be getting back to her old self.

That was why it made Iggy uneasy when she didn't come downstairs at 7:00 like she usually did.

_Relax Iggy. _He told himself. _If it bothers you that much just go up and check on her. That'll ease your mind._

Iggy set the four pieces of toast he just made on a plate and headed upstairs to check on Elisabeth. He was sure she was fine but he needed to know that she was okay. He didn't want her to hurt anymore. He wanted to make her pain go away.

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and reached his hand to her door. He knocked slowly and called, "Elisabeth? You awake sweetie?"

When he didn't get a reply he turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open and walked inside.

"Elisabeth? You in here?" he asked.

He knelt down next to her bed. She wasn't there.

A sudden breeze came through the open window.

Wait.

_Open window? Elisabeth would never leave the window open. Not at night. Not at a time like this. But that means…_

"Max! Fang!" Iggy yelled urgently. "Get upstairs! Now!"

He heard Max and Fang thunder up the stairs. In an instant, they were at his side.

"What's wrong Ig?" Fang asked. "Wait. Where's Elisabeth."

"I don't know." Iggy said, sinking down and sitting on Elisabeth's bed. "I don't know Fang."

Iggy's mind began racing. She wouldn't break her promise would she? She wouldn't leave him would she? But, if she didn't leave that would mean the Director took her.

"It's impossible." Max said, stunned. "No one got in here. I would've heard from downstairs in the living room. If the Director kidnapped her, there would've been a struggle. There would've been noise. But I didn't hear anything. Not a peep all night."

So she did leave.

"Guys." Iggy spoke up. "I think she ran away. She tried to do it awhile back, but I stopped her. I think she actually did it this time."

"What're you saying Ig? Why would she do something like that?" Fang asked, confused.

Iggy stood up and paced. "She did it to save us. She didn't want anything to happen to us. She's gone to the Director. She's going to face her."

"But, that's suicide." Max whispered.

"Exactly."

"Wait. What're you talking about Iggy?" Fang asked.

"She wants to die. She thinks it'll all stop. I tried to talk some sense into her. I thought it worked. I guess I was just wrong. I only delayed it."

A thought occurred to him.

"If I'm right, she left a note." he said, slowly. "Guys, search the room for a note."

Max and Fang scowered the room for the note. They pulled out drawers and boxes and looked in books.

"I found it!" Fang said, holding up a note he found in her pillowcase.

"Read it!" Iggy shouted. He didn't mean to be so rude to Fang, but this was urgent. He couldn't waste a second.

"Okay." Fang said. "It says: _Dear Iggy and everyone else, I have to leave. It's the only way. I'm not putting you in anymore danger. I can't. I'm not going to be the reason you all get hurt or worse. I couldn't live with myself. Don't bother looking for me. You'll never find me. No one will. Just get on with your lives. I've done enough damage. I'm going to miss you guys so much. You're my family. You helped me a lot. You made me feel like a person, not an experiment or super-computer. I'll never forget any of you, but I want you all to forget me, especially you Iggy. I don't deserve you. You're too good to me. Just remember that I love you and that's why I'm leaving. For you. I'm sorry. I ruined your lives. I'm sorry. For everything. I hope you'll forgive me. You have no idea how much this is hurting me. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it does. Goodbye, Elisabeth." _Fang looked up, horrified.

Max sat down on the floor and started to think. Iggy and Fang were silent for a while, but Iggy started to get uneasy.

"Max…" he said after a while.

"Shh Ig. I'm thinking." she replied, annoyed.

"About what?" he asked, worried.

"Well, I'm thinking up a plan. We need to get there fast. She's been at the school for at least six hours. I'm not saying she is, but she might be… well, dead already." She went silent for a few more minutes and then stood up.

"Follow me guys." she said, heading downstairs.

She ran straight to Nudge, Ella, and Angel's room in the basement. She ran to Nudge's bed and shook her awake.

"Nudge sweetie." Max said, as Nudge rubbed her eyes. "Listen ok. I need you to do something important."

"What is it Max?" she asked sleepily.

"Elisabeth's ran away. She's gone to face the Director. We have to get her back ok. It's just gonna be me, Fang, and Ig though. No offense, but we need to get there as quickly as possible and we can't have you, Gaz, and Angel slowing us down. I need you to stay here with Mom and Ella. Tell Mom where we're going and don't go to school. Ella probably shouldn't go either. If we're all absent from school, they'll think we all got sick, but if only a couple of us are gone, then someone might come to check on us."

"Got it Max."

"That's my girl." Max whispered. She hugged Nudge tightly and then got up.

"Alright guys, let's go." Max said.

They ran outside, headed into the woods, and took off when they got far enough in.

Iggy was silently hoping that they'd get to Elisabeth before she did something really stupid. He didn't understand how a girl with so much brains like her could be so dumb. Then again, she was stubborn and if she thought killing herself was the only way to save him, then she wouldn't even think twice.

_Come on Elisabeth. _He thought. _If you're gone, then what'll I have to live for? I NEED you so much. Please be there when I find you. Please be alive when I find you._

**See, I told you it would be longer. Now guys, I hate to have to do this, but I need more reviews. I haven't gotten one in so long. Please? I'm begging. I need a review or I'll die. Okay, not really, but seriously though I would love some. Six measly little reviews before I post the next chapter ok. I think that's fair enough. It isn't asking too much. So, leave a review and keep reading.**


	53. Chapter 52

**Here's a new chapter. Hope you guys like it. It's very surprising.**

Elisabeth was wandering aimlessly around the School in the dark. She had been there for about ten minutes and was beginning to wonder if she'd ever run into a whitecoat. It was like the whole building was empty. It was like a ghost town.

She was just about to get really annoyed when she turned a corner and came face to face with the Director. Finally.

"Well, Elisabeth. This is a surprise." she said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Elisabeth crossed her arms and said, "Don't give me that. You knew I would come eventually. You knew I couldn't stand it."

The Director smirked and replied, "Of course you're right. I told you didn't I? I told you how emotions make people weak. I warned you about letting your emotions get the better of you. You were in so deep with Iggy that I knew it was only a matter of time before something set you off, before something hurt you so bad that you couldn't take it and would come crawling to me, begging me to take away the pain." She laughed maniacally.

Elisabeth clenched her hands into fists and narrowed her eyes. She was going to hit the Director in the face.

_No. _She thought. _I can't._

She uncurled her fists and folded her arms instead. She still glared at the Director.

"That's right. Wouldn't want to do anything you'd regret later on." the Director said. "Well, I think we should get on with this, unless you would like to wait."

"No." Elisabeth said firmly. "I want it done now." She couldn't wait anymore. It had to be done now.

"Of course you do." the Director replied. "Your emotions are too much of a burden to bear any longer. Oh well, you live and learn I suppose." She turned around. "If you'll just follow me. We have some tests to do first. Part of the procedure. You understand."

Elisabeth followed the Director down several hallways until they came to a door.

The Director opened it and motioned for Elisabeth to sit on the table in the room.

As soon as Elisabeth sat down, the tests began. They were very simple, just some blood samples and testing her smarts.

After about an hour the Director led her into another room where Stacy, one of the whitecoats from the time she had been kidnapped, was waiting for her.

Elisabeth was again asked to sit on the table.

Stacy smirked and said, "Finally, you little wretch. You're about to get what you deserve."

Elisabeth considered kicking her, but saw no point in it. Soon she'd be out of there. Soon she'd be the Director's to control. What did it matter if Stacy made some snide little remark?

"Put her under." the Director said, turning towards the door. She opened it and walked out.

In just a few hours, Elisabeth would be all hers. Then she could plan her attack on the flock. All she had to do was wait.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Three hours later, the door opened and Stacy stuck her head out.

"She's ready." she announced.

The Director walked in the room and took a look at the new and improved Elisabeth.

Her face was expressionless and she was silent.

"She's all yours. She still has basic human needs like eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom of course. Other than that she's all yours." Stacy told the Director, smiling.

The Director turned to Elisabeth. "Who am I?" she asked her.

"The Director." Elisabeth replied. Her voice was flat and emotionless.

"And who are you?"

"Experiment E-1. Your servant."

"Very good. Now, what are you programmed for?"

"To obey the Director."

"What is your mission?"

"To destroy the flock."

"All of them? Including Iggy, your one true love?"

"I love no one. Love is weak. Emotions are weak."

"Excellent. Now, the flock will indefinitely come to your rescue. What will you do when they get here?"

"Kill them all."

"She's perfect." the Director told Stacy.

"Thank you." Stacy replied.

After the flock was destroyed the Director had bigger plans for Elisabeth. She would help her fix the world. They would put the "By Half Plan" back into effect. It was just a matter of time.

**Alright, there. I decided to go ahead and put this up today. Maybe now you all will leave me six reviews. It's seriously not a lot. All one person has to do is review my last six chapters, the ones without reviews. Not that difficult. I'm really starting to feel like I need to just quit this fanfic. I'm starting to think that you guys really don't like it. Please convince me otherwise. Later ~ lizziestar.**


	54. Chapter 53

**Bonjour everyone! Sorry, I'm taking French this semester. Anyway, I was extremely bored, due to a snow day, so I decided to go ahead and put up this chapter even without the six reviews. I've actually given up on begging for reviews because if anyone was going to review they would have done it by now. I'm just going to put up these chapters for me. I'm going to finish the story with or without a single solitary review. As for the sequel, well we'll see on that one. I would love to post it, but I just don't know. Well, here's another chapter for all the people out there who actually like this story.**

Max was exhausted. She had been flying non-stop for seven hours. Of course, she hadn't been flying as fast as she could. If she had, Fang and Iggy would've been left in the dust. She had to fly has fast as they could.

"So, how are we supposed to get in without getting caught?" Fang asked as soon as they had landed on the edge of the grounds where no one could see them.

That was a good question. It was only about eight o'clock in the evening; too early for quitting time.

"Fire escape." Iggy mumbled. "We could try the fire escape. They have to keep those doors unlocked for safety measures. We could fly up to one and open it."

"Good idea." Max said. "Alright, let's go." She prepared to take off, but Fang grabbed her arm.

"What?" she asked, irritated.

"Do we have a plan?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Max groaned and said, "Fang, look I really don't have a plan. All I know is that we have to go in there and get Elisabeth. So, can we please just go?"

When he didn't respond, Max smirked and said, "That's what I thought."

Fang rolled his eyes and Iggy muttered, "We don't have time for this."

Max nodded and the three of them took off. They flew straight for the second story fire escape. They tried to be as silent as possible as Iggy and Fang pulled the big red door towards them.

They stalked into the hallway and carefully shut the heavy door behind them. They inched forward through the hall.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until they turned the corner.

Max saw the Director and stopped, Fang following her lead. Iggy, however, walked right into Fang because he couldn't see what was going on. Fang took his arm and shushed him.

Max clenched her fists, ready to attack.

"Well, well Max. I wish I could tell you that I'm surprised to see you, but I'm not." the Director said.

"What've you done to Elisabeth?" Iggy asked, getting to the point.

"Elisabeth? Oh, yes, Elisabeth. I haven't done anything to her, at least nothing she didn't want me to do, I assure you." she drawled.

"What'd you mean?" Max asked, confused.

Fang stood silently, as usual.

"Well, I could tell you, but I think I'll show you instead."

"Show us what?" Iggy asked.

"You'll see." the Director said, snapping her fingers.

Elisabeth walked into the room. She was in the clothes she had been wearing to school the day before; jeans, a gray t-shirt, and her white Nike sneakers. She looked exactly the same, completely unharmed, but there was something different about her.

First, she hadn't ran towards them, crying. She was completely silent and motionless. Second, she wasn't hurt at all. And third, her eyes were empty of all emotion. She was like a soulless robot or… super-computer.

"Do you see it Maximum?" the Director asked, grinning.

"What's she talking about Max?" Iggy asked, genuinely confused.

"Elisabeth's been turned full super-computer." Fang muttered, astonished.

"No." Iggy whispered.

"Yes." the Director said with glee. "Just like she wanted."

"She didn't want this." Iggy said.

"Well of course she did. She came here begging me to do it. She couldn't handle all the pain anymore. Her emotions were too much."

"No. She would've told me." Iggy said, confidently.

"Are you sure?" the Director said. "Because it seems to me like she didn't tell you this."

At that, Iggy shouted, "Elisabeth! I know you're still in there! It's me, Iggy! I love you remember?"

"Emotions are weak, just like you." Elisabeth stated flatly.

The Director put her arm on Elisabeth's shoulder. "Satisfied?" she asked. "Now, Elisabeth, be a good little experiment and capture the flock for me. I need them alive for right now. I have some tests to run. After that, you can destroy them."

Elisabeth nodded and started toward them.

"Sorry, but capture isn't an option." Max said. She nodded at Fang and they jetted upward, Iggy following them.

The chase was on. Iggy, Max, and Fang flew out of the hall and headed straight for another. They didn't want to hurt Elisabeth so they were just trying to find an exit. That was, until the unthinkable happened.

Flyboys joined Elisabeth, who had been armed with a gun. It was going to be a huge battle, one that they would probably lose.

Max, Fang, and Iggy were surrounded. They had managed to destroy most of the Flyboys, but two had grabbed Fang and Max. It was just Iggy against Elisabeth.

"I hate to do this to you Elisabeth, but I have no choice." Iggy told her. "You made me promise." He kicked the gun out of her hand, grabbed it, and turned it on her.

Elisabeth backed into a corner; she was trapped.

"Ig, just don't stand there!" Max shouted. "Do something!" She struggled to break free of the robot's grip, but she couldn't get loose.

Iggy nodded, listening to his friends struggle and his girlfriend breathing deeply. If she hadn't been turned full super-computer he would think that she was afraid.

That was when he realized that even though Elisabeth had turned evil on him, she was still the same person. She may have been stripped of her emotions, but he hadn't been. He still loved her. He couldn't just kill her.

"Iggy, what are you waiting for?" Fang asked.

"I can't do it guys. I can't kill her." Iggy said, tossing the gun.

"She was all for killing us a second ago." Max gasped.

"But she isn't herself. I just can't."

"Emotions make people weak." Elisabeth said in her flat emotionless voice.

She grabbed Iggy by his arms and pushed him out the door. The Flyboys followed her, pushing Fang and Max.

Elisabeth took them to the Director.

"I've captured them just like you ordered." she announced.

"Very good. Take them to the fourth floor and put them in cages. I'll deal with them later."

Elisabeth nodded and dragged her old friends off.

**Alright, just thought you all would like that. A friend of mine helped me with this chapter. Now, before I leave I just thought I would give thanks to all of the people who have reviewed my story. JaccILY, Flame Ride, Jaelebean, Twilight-to-the-Maximum, Purpleytk, FlyingFree137, Carlalalita, SARAGrace14, Rhya, ILoveBabbits, star22, nikki, Silken-Winged-Angel, Illiannaisis613, Fly-girl, xBlackRoses12x, SmartA55, Insert Witty Name Here, kirsten, PARAMOREKID, kaye, bunny, grace14, santaclausrules18, Peace_on_earth_5225, nicole, and sparkleglitz01, thanks you guys! If I missed anyone I'm really sorry. Well, anyway new chapter coming soon.**


	55. Chapter 54

**Here's another update for you all. This chapter is from Max's POV. Well, that's all I really have to say. Oh, wait. About my sequel. I have decided that I will put it up. Why deny the people who love this story the happiness of getting to read another amazing story? Well, that's everything. Here's Chapter 54.**

Great! We were trapped in cages once again. I thought two years ago when I had moved the flock in with Mom and Ella we would avoid all of this aggravation. How utterly wrong was I?

"Guys, I'm so sorry." Iggy moaned. "This is all my fault. I thought that if I spared Elisabeth then she would just snap out of it."

"Don't worry Ig. I would've done the same thing." I whispered comfortingly from my cage across the room.

Iggy grunted and said, "No you wouldn't have. You would've murdered her."

"Well, okay. Maybe I would have, but that's only because I'm the leader and I have to think about what's best for the whole flock."

"Maybe I should've thought about the rest of you guys before myself. I'm so selfish."

Iggy continued to beat himself up about not killing Elisabeth. Of course, Fang had nothing to say. He was sulking about being stuck in a cage instead of actually helping me come up with a plan to get out.

I thought about what the Director said about Elisabeth. She had said that Elisabeth had begged her to turn her full super-computer. I just couldn't believe that. She loved Iggy too much to do that to him.

But, the Director hadn't kidnapped her. That much I was sure of. I would have heard something that night if she had.

From what I gathered, Elisabeth most likely had come here to tell the Director that she was going to kill herself. The Director probably overpowered her and had knocked her out or something and turned her full super-computer against her will.

Of course, Elisabeth had been acting pretty odd since Dr. Mullins was murdered.

For the first two days, she hadn't talked and she stayed locked up in our room all day. Iggy had to bring her meals and force her to eat them. Iggy had said that he could hear her crying all night. He also said that she muttered, "Don't hurt any of them. It's me you want." and "Mom! I'm sorry! Help!".

But then, she started to get better. She came downstairs, ate with us, watched movies with Iggy and Gazzy, played with Angel and Total, and helped Nudge and Ella with homework. She was still a little quiet, but she seemed happy despite the fact that her mother had just been murdered.

But she still had seemed a little far off. She spent a couple hours after school shut up in our room. When we asked her what she was doing, she told us it was homework. We just figured she needed a little time to herself.

Maybe the Director really was telling the truth. Maybe Elisabeth had come to her, asking her to get rid of her emotions.

I couldn't believe it, but that really was the only thing that made any sense. It still seemed a little impossible though. She loved Iggy. How could she do something like that to him?

"Max?" Fang whispered, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? I'm fine." I replied. "Just thinking. How could Elisabeth do this to us?"

Fang sighed and said, "I don't know. Sometimes people just…give up, I guess.".

Iggy's soft snores filled our prison. He had fallen asleep. Well, this had been a pretty long, tiring, and confusing day for him.

It was weird, but sometimes I forgot that Iggy was the same age as me and Fang. He acted so much younger. He was always cracking jokes and doing stupid stuff and getting himself in a world of trouble.

_It's just how Iggy deals with everything. _I reminded myself. _It's just the way he is. It's like me being all sarcastic and Fang being silent._

Iggy was going to have a hard way to go if we ever got out of those stinking cages. His "true love" had betrayed us all, whether on purpose or accident, and there was no going back for her. She'd be a bad guy forever.

_Things aren't always what they seem Maximum. _the Voice interjected.

_And just what is that supposed to mean? _I replied, sarcastically of course.

_Figure it out. _And just like that, the Voice was gone.

I never understood anything the Voice told me. Why couldn't it just straight up tell me what it wanted me to know? Why did it always have to make me confused? I thought it was trying to help me. How was this help?

I heard talking on the other side of the wall. I couldn't recognize the voices, but I knew that whatever they wanted, it wasn't going to be good for us.

The door swung open and two whitecoats came in.

One was a woman with long, dark hair that was tied up into a bun.

The other was a man. He was slightly heavy set. He was blonde and a looked a little frightened.

"What do you want?" I snarled at them.

Iggy awoke at the sound of my harsh, angry voice.

Fang was staring at them, his eyes narrowed, his jaw locked.

The woman simply said, "You all must fight Experiment E-1. We'll start with you." She opened the door to Iggy's cage, pulled him out, and shoved him out of the room.

"We'll be back for you later." the blonde man said, pointing to Fang, as he shut the door.

And so our tests began.

**Okay, that's all for this chapter. I hope you guys liked it. It was a filler. I thought I would make a chapter in Max's POV because I haven't done it in awhile. In the next chapter, if you haven't already guessed, Iggy has to fight Elisabeth. Things are going to get pretty interesting again. You won't be disappointed with my next several chapters. Anyway, I guess that's it for this update. Keep reading, review if you want, and keep watching for another update. See ya!**


	56. Chapter 55

**Hey people of the wonderful planet Earth! Do you know what time it is? It's time for another update. Please, hold your applause. Well, as you know (unless you've had your head stuck in a hole in the ground for the past week), in this chapter Iggy has to fight Elisabeth who has just turned full super-computer. Should be very interesting. Well, with that being said, here is Chapter 55. Hope you enjoy it. I think you might.**

Rough hands pulled Iggy out of his cage and shoved him out of the room. He didn't like being man handled and was just about to say a snide remark when he realized something.

The woman who was dragging him said he had to fight Elisabeth. Didn't he just do that already? He didn't think he could fight her anymore. What if he hurt her really bad? How could he live with himself?

_She's not the same Elisabeth anymore. _He reminded himself. _She isn't the same girl who used to kiss you and make you laugh. She's one of Them now. You're just gonna have to get over it. _

_Aw, who am I kidding? This is going to kill me. I have to deal with the fact that my girlfriend is going to be trying to kill me for the rest of my life._

The woman dragging him had stopped. Of course, no one was going to give him a warning when Elisabeth was about to come and begin their fight, so he was just going to have to listen extra hard.

He balled his hands into fists and waited for her to come. He strained his ears for a familiar sound.

It wasn't long before he heard her familiar foot steps heading in his direction.

He knew she wasn't going to say anything to him. What did she have to say anymore? He just stood, waiting for her to attack first.

It happened too quickly. One second, he had been standing upright, and the next, she had knocked him off his feet. He was laying on the cold, hard ground.

_Where'd she learn that? _He wondered as he struggled to get to his feet.

As soon as he got up, he got kicked in the gut with her foot and was down again, doubled over in agonizing pain.

"Holy shit!" he gasped.

She responded by kicking him in the crotch while he was down.

"I fight dirty." she droned. That new voice of hers made Iggy want to die. He really had lost her.

So, if this wasn't Elisabeth then he could cause her pain and not have to feel guilty about it.

This time when he got up he would knock her down instead of the other way around.

Or, at least, that was the plan.

When he pulled himself up, after the burning pain had subsided, she threw a powerful punch straight at his nose. He felt it shatter and felt the blood gush out. He put his arm up to his nose, to stop the flow.

He felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and roughly push him out.

"Well, that was a waste." the woman muttered, annoyed. "We thought you would put up more of a fight. Should have known seeing as how you are the most defective one."

Iggy could feel himself boiling with anger about that comment. He wasn't defective. They had just obviously taught Elisabeth some new, powerful moves. The test hadn't really been for him, it had been for Elisabeth. It had been to test the moves they had taught her and to see if she could deliver them effectively.

_Well, she passed that test. _Iggy thought, bitterly. _I've never been in so much pain in my entire life. God, if she ever snaps out of this, I'm going to have to be careful about making her mad. Course, she'll never snap out of it. _He added.

One of the hands holding him let go and he heard a door open. He was back.

He was shoved into the room and back into his cage. He was so freaking sore. He needed to sleep, but of course Max would want to know what happened.

He heard the door close; Fang had just been taken.

"So, Ig, how was it? Did you hurt her?" Max asked, anxiously.

He scoffed and said, "No, I never laid a hand on her."

"Couldn't do it?"

"No, it wasn't that. She beat the crap out of me. Didn't you notice my bleeding nose?"

"No, it's too dark in here."

"Max, I think I'm gonna go to sleep." Iggy mumbled tiredly.

"Ok, go ahead." Max said and she became silent.

Iggy tried to slip off into sleep unsuccessfully. Every time he tried, he felt Elisabeth punching him in the gut.

He didn't understand it. How could she do this to him? How could she come begging the Director to turn her full super-computer? How come she didn't confide her mixed up feelings to him? Was she really that hurt and upset? Did he only make everything worse when he was trying to make her feel better?

He felt his questions would never be answered. The only person who could answer them was never going to speak to him again.

**That was a little short I think. Another filler. Well, keep reading, reviewing, and checking for updates. One is coming your way soon.**


	57. Chapter 56

**Hi all of you good people in cyberspace. I felt that it was time for another update. Well, in the last chapter, Iggy had just fought Elisabeth and lost terribly. I decided to skip Fang and Elisabeth's fight seeing as it would basically be like Iggy's. I decided I'd just go onto Max. This chapter is in her POV (duh) and is going to be another very interesting chapter. It is very hard to say when this will be over and when I'll be putting up my sequel, but you can bet that when I do, it'll be awesome. Well, that's enough babbling for now. On with the chapter!**

I was being shoved down the hall. Me, Maximum Ride. I do not get shoved! But, right then, I wasn't worried about that, much. I was more worried that I was going to have to fight Elisabeth.

She had beaten the crap out of Iggy and, surprisingly, Fang. What if she did that to me? Now, I wasn't going to let that happen, but you never know do you?

I was about to come face to face with a girl who had been like a sister to me for the past two years, except now she was my enemy. There's a twist. I swear, it's like the School and Itex just do this stuff to me on purpose. It's not enough that I'm a mutant bird girl who has to save the world. No, they have to make me and Elisabeth fight.

I was too busy thinking to notice that I had been shoved into a room. You think I would've noticed that. I mean seriously. What was with me?

I looked straight ahead and my eyes locked on Elisabeth.

She was standing there. Just standing. If she had any emotions I'd say that she looked bored.

In a second, she came running at me and sent a kick headed for my jaw.

Luckily, I dove out of the way just in time.

"You know," I said, getting to my feet, "You could give a girl a little warning here. I mean, you were sort of like my best friend, I mean after Fang."

" 'Were' being the key word." she said, as she sent another hit, this time straight to my shoulder. I didn't block that one, but she didn't do much damage.

This time I sent a punch straight for her jaw. I hit her, but I did about as much as she did to me: none. It looked like this fight was evenly matched. I figured that the Director had been banking on that. Who was more powerful; Maximum Ride the ultimate hybrid destined to save the world, or Elisabeth, the emotionless super-computer?

"How could you do this?" I asked her, blocking another punch. "We trusted you. Iggy loved you."

"It just goes to show you," she said, flatly, "Emotions, like love, are for weak people-"

"Yeah, yeah." I interrupted. "I get it. 'Emotions make you weak'. I've heard it before." I kicked her in the shins. Still no damage. Why couldn't I hurt her?

"Yes. As I was saying. Emotions, like love are for weak people. Trust is for fools. But strong people, smart people, people like me, have no emotions and therefore no trust." She aimed another punch at me, this time at my eye. She missed and I took the opportunity to ask her something.

"Then why do you listen to the Director?"

"I was programmed that way." she stated.

"Yeah, well your programming sucks."

I was just about to try hitting her again, when a pair of hands came down on my shoulders. I snapped my head around. Joy. It was the crazy whitecoat who brought me out here.

"I think I've got everything I need." she said. "I'm taking you back now."

"Well, actually, I still have some questions for the traitor!" I shouted at Elisabeth, but the whitecoat still dragged me off.

She pulled me back down the hall and into my cage.

"Well?" Fang whispered when she left. Apparently Iggy had drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep seeing as how he didn't say anything to me.

"She didn't hurt me, but then again I didn't really hurt her either." I whispered back.

Fang appeared to be thinking. He soon spoke up. "Did she tell you anything? I got nothing out of her when I fought her."

"I'm thinking she did all of this of her own accord. There's no other explanation. I just don't understand why she did it. She seemed happy with us before. Do you really think that Dr. Mullins dying really brought all of this pain on her?"

"She really did love Mom and she really did feel like the whole thing was her fault." Fang heaved a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, but would that be enough to do this to all of us; to Iggy?"

"Who knows?"

That was the truth. Who knew anything anymore? I was used to not knowing anything. I mean, it still pissed me off, but I was used to it.

Fang had gone silent, so I was left alone to dwell in my own thoughts.

I wondered how we were going to get out of this? I couldn't see a way, but opportunity has a way of knocking when you least expect it. I was going to stay hopeful or, at least I was going to try to.

I also thought about Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, Ella, and my mom. I wondered how they were doing and if they were worried about us.

**Alas, the end of another chapter. Oh well. Anyways, that was another filler. I hope you enjoyed it. I was extremely hard to write because I just couldn't figure out what would happen if Max and Elisabeth got in a fist fight. I tried my best. Well, read, review, and all that jazz. Updating ASAP. See ya!**


	58. Chapter 57

**What's up people? I'll tell you what's up: another update! I know, you can hardly contain your excitement. Anyway, just to remind you, in my last chapter, Elisabeth fought Max, but neither of them really suffered any damage. Okay, in this chapter, we go to Nudge, Ella, the Gasman, and Angel and we get to see what they're up too. This is where Nudge learns how to take charge. Again, it's a filler, but it's a really important one. With that in mind, here is Chapter 57. I hope you love it.**

One week. That's how long ago Max, Fang, and Iggy left to go and find Elisabeth. They still weren't back and Nudge was getting extremely worried about all of them. She knew they were the oldest and that they could handle themselves, but if anything happened to them, that put her in charge. Nudge wasn't so sure she could be as good a leader as Max or Fang.

So, at dinner she voiced her opinion. It was something she did a lot, but this time she was nervous. What was Dr. Martinez going to say about her plan? Would she let them do it or would she make them stay and just wait?

One way to find out.

Nudge cleared her throat and every head at the table turned to her. "Well," she began, "Seeing as I'm the oldest member of the flock here, I need to say something." She paused and started up again. "Max, Fang, Iggy, and Elisabeth have been gone for a week and I think we need to go after them."

"Yeah!" the Gasman said. "This time we're saving their butts!"

"Hold on." Nudge said. "What do you think Dr. Martinez.?"

Dr. Martinez set her fork down on her plate and sighed. "I was wondering when you were going to ask. Obviously, I don't want you to go, but you have to. They need your help apparently. If they didn't, they would be back by now."

"I wanna go with you guys." Ella said, standing up. "I always feel so useless. Maybe I can help."

Nudge shook her head. "No Ella. It's too dangerous. Me, Gazzy, and Angel were designed for stuff like this. You weren't. Besides, you don't have wings so we'd have to carry you and, no offense, but we have trouble carrying Total and you weigh a whole lot more than him. We couldn't make it. We'd drop right out of the sky. Sorry."

Ella sat back down, folded her arms, and sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that." she replied.

"So, when are we leaving?" Angel asked finishing off her spaghetti.

"Um I guess now." Nudge said, standing up. "That okay Dr. Martinez?"

"It's fine with me. Just be careful and hurry back. I hope everything goes okay." she said, hugging each one of them. "It feels like you're all my kids. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to any of you."

"You're the greatest…Mom." Angel said, as she was receiving her hug. "I love you."

Dr. Martinez's eyes welled up with tears. "I love you too sweetie." SHe gave Angel another tight squeeze and then let her go.

"I'll miss you guys." Ella said, hugging them.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." Nudge assured her. "Well, come on guys. Let's get going."

She led the Gasman and Angle outside.

"Wait for me!" Total shouted, cutting through the yard. "I'm coming too. I haven't gone anywhere in so long."

Nudge rolled her eyes, but picked him up before she took off.

"So, why do you think they aren't back yet?" Gazzy asked Nudge as they flew through the dark sky.

"I don't know." Nudge answered truthfully. "But it has to be something important. They wouldn't just leave us."

"Why'd they leave us behind anyway?" Angel asked.

"Max said that we'd slow them down. She said that they had to get to Elisabeth fast." Who knew why?

_I think they were afraid the Director turned her full super-computer. They were trying to get to her before that happened. _Angel answered. _I've heard Iggy and Elisabeth thinking about it a lot. They were really worried. Looks like they had a reason to be._

Nudge nodded, but tried not to think about what Angel had told her. Maybe that was why Max, Iggy, Fang, and Elisabeth hadn't come back yet.

_We'll get them back. _Nudge told herself. _Elisabeth's ok. Max and the others have gotten to her and they're on their way home right now. We'll probably run into them on our way to New Jersey. _She hoped.

**Okay, like I said, that was a filler. It wasn't very detailed or anything, but I was working with what time I had. I think I got my point across though: Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel are going to save everyone. Obviously, this rescue isn't the end. I still have a lot of work to do on this fanfic before I'm finished. Don't worry, loads of stuff is going to happen in my next few chapters. It's going to be very interesting, especially one chapter in particular, but I shall say no more. Keep reading, reviewing, and looking for updates. **


	59. Chapter 58

**New chapter! Alright then, let me catch you up. Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, and Total are going to rescue Max, Iggy, and Fang. They also think they're going to save Elisabeth. They are going to be in for a huge surprise and so are you guys. Oops, I've said too much. I better get on with the story before I accidentally reveal anything major. This chapter is from Max's POV just to let you all know. Here's Chapter 58 for all of my adoring, faithful, loving, awesome fans who are the whole reason I'm still putting up this fanfiction. Without further ado, the next chapter in With Wings Wide Open.**

An entire week. We had been stuck in this nightmarish place for a freaking week. I was about ready to snap. Everyday they made us fight Elisabeth and everyday Iggy and Fang got their butts kicked and Elisabeth and I barely hurt each other. It was pointless and I still hadn't figured out how we were going to bust out.

Things were starting to get really hopeless when I heard movement outside the door to our room. I figured it was just some whitecoats that had come to make us fight Elisabeth, again.

Boy was I wrong.

The door swung open and standing in the doorway were Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel.

They softly shut the door behind them and crept over to our cages.

"Max?" Angel whispered.

"I'm here." I whispered back. "What're you guys doing here?"

"We're here to bust you out." Nudge replied proudly. "I came up with the whole plan myself."

"That's great. But how're you going to get us out?"

"I'll take care of that." Gazzy said, reaching in his pocket. He pulled something out, but I couldn't tell what it was in the dark. "Iggy isn't the only one who can pick a lock." he said, and he started working on the lock on my cage.

Soon me, Fang, and Iggy were free. I honestly never thought we were going to get out of there and I never imagined that Nudge, Gaz, and Angel would be saving us.

_Just returning the favor. _Angel replied.

"So, where's Elisabeth?" Nudge asked. "Did they put her back down in the basement?"

I swear I thought Iggy was going to cry. I heard him take several deep breaths, gulping air, trying to keep tears from falling, trying to keep from breaking down. He was stronger than I realized.

"Well, sweetie." I said, wondering how to begin. "You see, Elisabeth is well…" I didn't know what to say.

Before I could start up again, Iggy said, "She's one of Them now. They got her before we could get here." His voice sounded weak. Poor guy.

"Oh no." Nudge gasped. "What're we gonna do?"

"There's nothing we can do." I answered. I wasn't going to tell them that Elisabeth had wanted to be turned full super-computer and that she had betrayed us. Why worry them?

I could tell Angel knew though because she looked at me, her eyes filled with sadness and with a kind of knowing.

_Iggy's really upset. _She said to me.

_I know, but we have to get out of here._

Fang broke the silence by saying, "No use crying about it. We need to get out of here now, before they realize that you guys let us loose."

I nodded and we snuck out of the room. I had no idea where we were going and apparently Nudge's plan had stopped at getting us out of the cages.

_Think Max. _I told myself.

_Turn left up ahead. _The Voice chimed in unexpectantly.

I did as it said, and got the shock of my life. There, standing right in front of me, was the Director, Elisabeth, and a couple of Flyboys.

_Nice going. _I thought to the Voice. _How is this getting me out?_

It didn't answer. Typical.

"Maximum, you have been naughty." the Director teased. "Tsk, tsk. Oh, the rest of the flock is here I see. Where's the dog?"

"Outside." Angel sneered. That's my girl.

"Yes, of course. Well, now I have you all."

My flock clenched their hands into fists and got ready to fight. I was so proud of them. They did things that I never thought they would be able to do. Nudge had gotten Gazzy and Angel here by herself, Gazzy got us out of those cages, and Angel made a wise decision by not telling the others the whole story about Elisabeth being turned.

I felt pride well up inside my chest. Now, I was ready to fight too.

The Director saw this and shouted at Elisabeth, "Attack them!"

Elisabeth ripped one of the Flyboys' arms off. Now she had a weapon; a machine gun.

_Here we go again. _I thought.

"U and A guys! Now! If we get separated, you know what to do." I said, taking off.

Naturally, Elisabeth came after me first and Fang followed.

Elisabeth noticed Fang, turned around, and punched him in the jaw. She then went back to chasing me.

She had backed me against a wall, when the whole flock came after us.

Iggy did the impossible by punching Elisabeth in the face.

She shook it off like he hadn't even touched her. She didn't cry or shriek in pain. If she hadn't been about to kill us, I would've been impressed.

"I have them!" she shouted to the Director in her emotionless, flat voice.

The Director came running, the Flyboys behind her.

"Good, now finish them." she said, grinning triumphantly. She knew Elisabeth would obey and that we'd be dead.

Elisabeth turned her head back to us and pointed the gun directly at Iggy. She was going to finish him off first and then move on to the rest of us.

"You aren't a murderer Elisabeth!" Angel shouted.

For a second, it look like Elisabeth's eyes met Angel's and something like an…understanding passed between the two of them.

But it was only for a second.

Elisabeth's eyes were still emotionless and her gaze was locked on our frightened expressions. It was like she never knew us, like we never saved her, like she'd been a super-computer her whole life.

We were doomed.

"You know what you have to do." the Director told Elisabeth. She sounded impatient. "Finish them."

Elisabeth nodded once and replied in her cold, emotionless voice, "I know what I have to do."

She put her hand on the trigger, getting ready to pull.

I closed my eyes. I didn't want to watch Elisabeth kill me. It was too sickening to think that a once nice, awesome girl, a girl who used to be my friend, had become a ruthless murderer.

I heard the gun go off and I was ready.

The deafening noise stopped as soon as it had started.

Wait, wasn't I supposed to be dead? How could I think or hear if I was dead? This didn't make any sense.

I pried my eyes open and found Elisabeth staring at me, her eyes wide, her face filled with fright.

Wait, fright? But how was that possible?

She pointed upward. She had put a hole in the ceiling.

And suddenly, everything happened so fast.

"Guys, fly! Now! U and A up through that hole!" Elisabeth shouted, whipping out her wings and running at us.

"No!" the Director screamed. "How is this possible? You were mine!"

"That's what you thought!" Elisabeth shouted.

Angel shot straight up through the hole, followed by Elisabeth.

Everyone else stared at me, waiting for me to say something. I was just as shocked as they were. I had no idea what was going on, but I did know that I had to get my flock out of there and get Angel back, so I went up through the hole. They all followed me, and so did the Flyboys.

I got up to Elisabeth and shouted, "What the heck?!".

"No time to explain." she shouted, turning her head to see behind her.

"Iggy, Gazzy, do you guys have any bombs on you?!" she yelled at them.

They were too shocked and confused to answer, so Angel did for them.

"Gazzy, just hand me the bombs. Two should do it."

Gazzy did as his sister told him too.

"What'd you want me to do with them?" Angel asked Elisabeth.

She obviously told Angel her plan through her thoughts, because then Angel threw one at a wall in front of us and the other at the Flyboys.

The wall and both Flyboys exploded. Through the gaping hole in the wall I could see outside. It was pitch dark.

"Woohoo!" Elisabeth shouted. "See ya suckers!"

Angel giggled and shouted, "We beat them! Everything's back to normal now!"

"Hey, I would love to know what's going on!" I shouted at Elisabeth.

"Let's get Total and get out of here first." Angel said.

She was right. We had to get far away from this place first. As soon as we did though, I would get my answers. I'd make sure of it. None of this made any sense. Did Angel's cries snap Elisabeth out of it?

_An hour. _I told Angel. _An hour to get as far away from here as possible and then I get my answers._

Instead of answering me, Angel swooped done in the woods and plucked out Total. She handed him to me and then nodded.

I turned to look at Iggy. I couldn't tell what he was feeling, but I knew it had to be worse than what I was. The confusion alone was unbearable. Oh well, we were going to get all our questions answered. That was all that mattered.

**Okay, very surprising chapter. Did any of you see that coming? I had a friend help me with it. Anyway, I will have a new chapter up as soon as I can. I hope you enjoyed it. Read, review, and be on the look out for a new update. Just to let you know, in my next chapter everyone's questions will be answered. That should make this more understandable. Anyway, I'll post ASAP. Promise.**


	60. Chapter 59

**Dun Dun Dun. Okay guys, this is the chapter where everything makes sense for once! Yay, I finally make sense! Anyway, this isn't going to be too shocking. I mean, if you really think about it, the reason seems kind of obvious. I probably could have come up with something better, but I didn't have the time, so I just went with something simple and obvious. I hope you like it and I hope you'll review. **

The hour was up and, as soon as Max found a suitable place in a forest to land, they landed.

They began setting up camp which just basically meant that Angel, Elisabeth, and Nudge dragged over some rocks and logs to sit on and Max, Fang, and Iggy started a fire.

"Okay." Max said, sitting down in front of the fire. "Start talking Elisabeth. I want to know why you put us through all of this crap. It better be good." She didn't meant to sound harsh, but she had to be. Elisabeth couldn't be trusted anymore, not unless she had a good excuse.

Elisabeth sighed and began her story.

"Well, you guys remember the night my mom died, right?" Everyone nodded so she continued. "Well, remember how Jeb called and wanted to talk to me Max?"

Max nodded and said, "What're you saying?"

"Well, Jeb told me that he knew I was probably angry, upset, and confused. He didn't want me to do anything I'd regret. It was like he knew that I wanted to kill myself. He said that he needed me to do something important. He wanted me to infiltrate the School and pretend I wanted to be turned full super-computer." She paused so the others could say something.

"Wait, so Jeb told you to do it?" Max asked, intrigued. "Well, that makes sense, but I still don't get it. How did he know you wouldn't actually be turned?"

"Well, you see I asked that same question. He said he had someone on the inside who was going to be performing the "surgery". This person had been getting close to the Director just in case." She paused again.

"Hold up." Nudge said, confused. "How were you able to fool the Director?"

"That's a very good question Nudge." Elisabeth said, smiling. "You see, while the "surgery" was supposed to be going on, Jeb's friend was teaching me how to appear blank and emotionless. It was difficult, but obviously I mastered it."

"But, if you were faking, why did you beat…Iggy up?" Fang mumbled. He was trying to forget that his little sister had kicked his butt twice a day for the whole week they were at the School.

Elisabeth smiled slyly, but continued. "I had to make it look convincing. To tell you the truth, I wasn't really even trying to hurt you guys. With all of the new moves the Director showed me, I could have killed you if I wanted to."

Max spoke up again. "So, why didn't you hurt me?"

Elisabeth sighed. "I couldn't. You're the leader. If I wanted to ever get back in the flock, then I knew better than to beat you up."

Max nodded. "That all?" she asked, staring hard at Elisabeth, making sure she hadn't been lying.

She shook her head. "No. I wasn't supposed to leave a note or tell you all anything. Jeb's orders. I had to though. You see, I had no idea what the Director would be planning. I wanted to make sure you all would be safe, so I left the note knowing you would come after me. Then the Director would make you capture me and when things got bad, I'd get you guys out. Safe and sound." Elisabeth paused again.

"Did the Director tell you her plan?" Gazzy asked, curiously.

"Yes, but I want to wait until we can talk to Jeb before I tell you guys anything. I don't want to repeat myself a billion times." She stared at Max and began worrying.

She doubted Max would ever trust her again even though she was telling the truth. She doubted Max would let her back in the flock even more, but it was worth a shot.

"Look, if you don't believe me, I'll go just go." She sighed and turned around to take off.

Someone grabbed her arm. It was Max. SHe looked at her, seriously. She didn't look mad or anything, just a little confused. Who wouldn't be? Elisabeth was confused herself and she knew the whole story.

"Don't." she said. "Angel told me she read your mind back there. I forgive you and I still trust you."

Elisabeth nodded and sat back down next to Iggy. He acted like he didn't even notice. He just kept his faced turned towards the fire. She heaved a sigh. She knew it. He was still upset. She'd try again later. He'd have to talk to her sometime.

"I'm starved." Total piped up. "What're we gonna eat and how soon can we eat it?"

Max and Fang left to go and find some food and came back an hour later with a dead rabbit. No one would have eaten if they weren't starving. Only Angel, Nudge, Gazzy, and Total had had a decent meal in a week.

They all soon slipped off into a troubled slumber. Each was worried about something. Each knew that their comfortable way of life was coming to an end. Each feared that someone was going to die. Each feared they were going to die.

**Depressing and not that exciting just like I told you. Iggy and Elisabeth are going to be having some minor problems in my next couple of chapters, but it gets resolved at the end of Chapter 61. Keep reading and reviewing. Updating soon, I hope.**


	61. Chapter 60

**Hi everyone. Told you I'd update soon. I hope you liked my last chapter and are ready for another one. I can't believe this is my 60****th**** chapter. This all just started as a dream I had. I can't believe its come this far. When I look back on the last six months, I'm extremely surprised at myself. I never quit. Not even when I didn't have a single review. Not even when I got writer's block. Not even when I didn't know where the story was going. Not even when school got hard or when I got into a fight with my best friend (ex best friend now). I am truly proud of myself. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and get on with this chapter. So, here's Chapter 60. Hope you like it. I'm sure you will.**

They arrived at the house the following day in the late afternoon. They were all relieved to see their beautiful, yellow house. It was a welcoming sight and they knew that once they were inside, they were safe.

"Home sweet home." Max muttered to herself as they walked onto the porch. She pulled open the door.

"Mom!" she called. "Ella! We're back!"

Ella came running at her. She slammed into her and hugged her so tightly that when she finally let go, Max was gasping for breath.

"Sorry." Ella said. "I'm just happy you're all back."

"Where's Mom?" Max asked, closing the door as the others took off their shoes.

"I'm in the living room Max." Dr. Martinez called. "Can you come in here?"

The flock and Ella walked into the living room.

Dr. Martinez was sitting on the couch looking very angry and a little uncomfortable. Max was going to ask why, until everything became clear.

Jeb was sitting in the chair facing her. When he heard the flock come in, he turned his head around. He smiled warmly, but soon dropped the smile when he saw nobody was returning it. He cleared his throat and said, "Well I'm glad to see that you're okay."

Before Max could reply, Dr. Martinez muttered darkly, "Yeah, no thanks to you."

"Not now Val." Jeb muttered back.

Everyone sat down around Dr. Martinez, trying to stay away from Jeb. No one was exactly happy to see him after they found out what happened.

Jeb shifted around uncomfortably and cleared his throat again. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here."

"Not really." Max snapped. "We know. Elisabeth told us everything. I'm sure your contact told you we escaped."

Jeb's face flushed and he mumbled, "Yes, well then." He cleared his throat again and said, "So Elisabeth, what did you find out."

Elisabeth sighed and said, "She was planning to put the By-Half Plan back into effect since she had me on her side. She also wanted me to kill the flock."

Of course, when Elisabeth said that no one was shocked or surprised. Predictable. That was all she wanted, to go through with her original plan. The whole "kill the flock thing" was pretty obvious too.

"I see." Jeb said, thoughtfully. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. I found out how she found my mom."

Everyone straightened up at this bit of news. This was the part that didn't make sense. Dr. Mullins had been in hiding for years and the Director just suddenly found her. It was kind of fishy.

"What'd she say?" Fang asked, quietly. This had been bugging him maybe more than anyone else besides Elisabeth. She was his mother too and it had hurt him a lot when she had been murdered.

Elisabeth sighed and tried to grab Iggy's hand for support, but with no luck. He looked like he was in a totally different world. She sighed again and began, "Well, remember Heather?"

Max and Fang nodded. "What does she have to do with anything?" Max asked, curiously.

"Well, remember how she moved in with her mom who lived on the East Coast?"

Again, Max and Fang nodded. "What are you saying? Her mom's a whitecoat?"

Elisabeth shook her head. "Her mom's the Director."

Everyone's mouths hit the floor. Max's eyes went wide. "Are you kidding me?" she asked, incredulously.

Elisabeth shook her head again. "I found that out as soon as the Director thought I had been turned. Heather came out of some room and "mommy" told her that her plan had worked."

"Wait. That still doesn't make any sense. How did the Director find Dr. Mullins thanks to Heather? What plan?" Nudge asked, dumfounded. "I really don't get it."

"Yeah." Max agreed. "Feel free to explain."

"Well, my mom hadn't really changed her appearance when she left the School. She just grew her hair out and started wearing her glasses again. Heather might have had a school yearbook and the Director might have seen her picture. She would've recognized her and asked Heather about her. Heather might have told her we talked to her a lot and then the Director figured we knew who she was and that she was important to us." Elisabeth explained.

"As to the plan, well she killed my mother on purpose. She was going to kill her, that was her plan. She knew we'd come after her. She knew that Mom would try and protect us. She hoped that when she murdered my mother my emotions would be too hard to handle and that I'd come to her begging to get rid of them, no matter the consequences."

"And that's what I was banking on." Jeb spoke up.

And that was when Dr. Martinez lost it. She stood up and started shouting at Jeb. "You knew all this and you still put her in danger!"

"I had too. It was for the good of the world." Jeb tried to explain, but Dr. Martinez wasn't having it. The flock just watched in amazement.

"So what you're saying is that the good of the world is more important than my children's lives!"

Jeb shook his head. "They aren't your children Val. Just Max." he reminded her.

"They're as good as!" she yelled shaking her fist at him. "I've been taking care of them! I love them as if they were my own!"

"But they aren't."

"And who was this contact of yours?" she asked, angrily. The flock just kept watching.

"That isn't relevant." Jeb muttered.

"Oh, it isn't relevant is it?" she yelled. "I know. It was Stacy wasn't it?"

Jeb's face flushed again. "So what if it was?"

"I knew it! How could you trust her? How did you know she wasn't working with the Director? How did you know she wouldn't actually turn Elisabeth full super-computer?" She crossed her arms and waited for a reply.

Jeb was starting to sweat a little. "I trust her Val. She's been on our side for a long time."

"Well, of course!" Dr. Martinez threw up her arms in anger.

"Look Val-"

"Don't you 'Look Val' me!" she interrupted. "Oh my God!" she said, looking like she had a revelation. "Oh my God!" She slapped Jeb across the face.

The flock continued to look on in confusion, not saying a word. Ella looked like she was on the verge of laughter.

"What was that for?!" Jeb demanded, massaging his sore cheek.

"You're sleeping with her aren't you?!" Dr. Martinez shouted at him.

Ella's mouth dropped to the ground and Gazzy let out a low whistle.

"I am not!" Jeb yelled, jumping up out of the chair. His face was tomato red and he was sweating like a pig. Dr. Martinez had caught him. He was in big trouble.

"I see." Dr. Martinez whispered. "You put Elisabeth and everyone else in the flock in mortal danger all because Stacy, your girlfriend or whatever you want to call that witch, told you it was a good plan!" Her voice rose again.

"No I didn't." Jeb protested. He paused and then said, "It was my plan."

"Get out of my house!" Dr. Martinez ordered. "Out!"

Jeb stormed out of the house and slammed the door, causing the house to shake a little.

Dr. Martinez sat back down and buried her face in her hands. "Bed time." she muttered.

No one needed to be told twice. Max set up camp in the living room and everyone else hurried to their beds.

Elisabeth followed Iggy upstairs and grabbed his arm. He turned around and muttered, "What?"

Elisabeth kissed him on the cheek. "Night." She said, trying to shake off the bad feeling she was starting to get.

"Huh?" he asked. "Oh, right. Night." He walked into his room without kissing her back.

Something was wrong. Elisabeth knew it. Iggy was never distant. Even if he was preoccupied with something, he'd never ignore her when she kissed him. She was sure he'd come around. She hoped he did sooner rather than later. She needed him, now more than ever. War was brewing and things were going to get ugly.

**So, that explains everything now. I decided to add another filler chapter, so the next one is not going to be an Iggabeth chapter. Instead, we go to the Director. Elisabeth's fears are right; war is brewing and it will be ugly. Anyway, read and review. Updating ASAP.**


	62. Chapter 61

**Hi people! I'm back with another update! As I said before, we go to the Director on this one. It's going to be a little short. I just wanted to thank you all again for the awesome reviews! I'm really glad you all love my story. Anyway, I hope you all find this chapter…er…interesting. It should be.**

"Damn it!" the Director yelled, slamming her office door behind her. She charged over to her desk and unlocked a drawer. She pulled it open, but didn't take anything out of it.

"There's only one way she tricked me!" She pressed the intercom and waited for a reply. She was seething with anger.

Why didn't she see this coming before? Now that she thought about it, it was so obvious. Her plan had went too perfectly. Nothing messed up. Something always went wrong, but not this time. Everything happened according to plan. How didn't she see this?

"Yes Director?" a voice crackled on the intercom.

"Send me Dr. Stacy Lawson immediately!" she shouted into the intercom.

"Right away."

The Director sat in her chair and calmed herself down. She needed to be calm when Stacy came. If she wasn't, she'd blow everything.

She closed her eyes and took deep soothing breaths. She also visualized happy things.

Several minutes later, the door swung open and Stacy walked slowly in the room. She looked nervous, as she should be.

"You wanted to see me?" Stacy asked as she approached the desk.

"Yes I did." the Director replied, calmly. "I'm sure you know that Elisabeth left with the flock and that she had never been turned full super-computer."

Stacy eyed her with suspicion. "What are you suggesting?" she asked.

"You were the one who was performing the surgery. I think that you never did anything to her. I think that you are working with Jeb Batchelder." She looked her directly in the eye and watched her break.

"I admit it!" she yelled. "I helped them! The truth is I love Jeb Batchelder. He is an honorable man. He's been against you since the beginning and I've been helping him the entire time. I'm glad I messed up your plans. You're the incarnation of Satan!" she screamed.

The Director stood up and put her hand in the open drawer. "That's all I needed to hear." She pulled a gun out of the drawer and aimed it at Stacy.

"You're going to die for nothing." the Director went on. "I'm going to kill the flock and Jeb. Now, I'm giving you one more chance. Either join me and help me destroy them or you'll die first." She put her hand on the trigger and stared at her, waiting for an answer.

Stacy took a deep breath and said, "Fuck you. I'll never help you. I may die, but you'll be joining me pretty soon. I'll see you in hell."

The Director pulled the trigger and Stacy fell to the floor, dead. Some of her blood was spattered on the wall and she was slumped over.

The Director then walked over to her desk and pressed the intercom button again, while putting the gun back in her desk drawer and locking it.

"Yes Director?" the voice crackled again.

"Yes, send someone in here to clean up a mess. Dr. Lawson has had an unfortunate accident." she said, as calmly as ever. It was almost like she didn't just murder a woman in her office.

"Yes Director. Anything else?"

"Yes." she announced, smirking. "Get me together an army. Some robots and a few scientists will be fine." She could stand to lose a few bumbling scientists. This was war.

"By when?" the crackling voice asked.

"Get the army together by next week. We'll be leaving for Hayden, Arizona. The flock is going down."

"Of course. Right away Director." The intercom hung up.

_I'm coming for you Maximum. _The Director thought to herself. _You can run, but you can't hide. This time you will die. You, your family, Jeb, and the flock. And there's nothing you can do about it. Absolutely nothing._

**Well, like I said pretty short. There will be a whole heck of a lot of Iggabeth in the next two chapters. I hope you like it. There might be some Fax later on, but I'll have to see how it works out. Anyway, read and review. Update really soon. I promise.**


	63. Chapter 62

**Okay, guys I hope you're ready for this. In this lovely chapter, Iggy and Elisabeth work out their problems. This is a totally awesome and shocking chapter. I never knew I could write a chapter like this until I wrote it. I was amazed with myself. I never knew I was so good and talented. Also, I have 100 reviews! This makes me so freaking happy. I feel like doing a happy dance! Anyway, I'm babbling. You don't want to read all of this. You want to read my new chapter, so that's what you're going to read. So, here's Chapter 62.**

Three long, confusing, quiet days. That's how long Iggy had been silent and Elisabeth had started getting paranoid. She was sure that the worst was happening: she was losing him.

She had come to Angel with her worries. Unfortunately. Angel hadn't been much help. She might have even made things much, much worse.

"He's been thinking a lot lately." Angel had told her when she asked. "I can't tell about what though because it's all jumbled up. It's mostly about you though."

Elisabeth's mind went wild with worry after that conversation with Angel. What could he be thinking about? What could make him so distracted? What did it have to do with her?

After all possible answers ran through Elisabeth's mind, she came to a conclusion. She knew what was wrong and she needed to talk to him about it.

So, that night at dinner, Elisabeth got his attention by pinching him while Nudge was ranting about something or other.

"What?" he whispered harshly, pulling his arm away from her.

"We need to talk." she whispered back, quickly. "You've been ignoring me for three days."

He sighed and paused for a minute.

"Fine. You're room as soon as Fang's asleep. Max'll be sleeping in the living room, so we'll have some privacy. You're right, we do need to talk." He fell silent and Elisabeth took that as her cue to do the same.

Dinner was soon over and Elisabeth headed upstairs to wait for Iggy to come in so that they could have their talk.

She decided to throw on her pajamas. She got out a white tank top and threw on a plain black t shirt over it. She then put on a pair of grey pajama bottoms and pulled her long, dark, wavy hair into a ponytail.

When she was finished she decided to read a book until he came upstairs. She would've done homework, but Dr. Martinez said that they couldn't go back to school. She called the school and told them that she would be home schooling all of them.

She had gotten so immersed in her book that she hadn't noticed Iggy come in until he cleared his throat.

She closed her book and quietly said, "I didn't hear you come in. I was too busy reading." She felt her cheeks tingle and knew she was blushing. It had been a long time since Iggy had made her do that.

He sat down on Max's bed and faced her.

Neither of them said anything for a long time. They sat in silence, both thinking of something to say to the other.

Finally, Elisabeth couldn't take it any longer. "I talked to Angel. She told me that you've been thinking a lot lately."

"Did she tell you what I was thinking about?" Iggy asked nervously. He looked worried.

"No." Elisabeth replied. "But it's pretty obvious." She felt a tear run down her cheek and quickly wiped it away.

"It is?" Iggy asked, confused now.

"Yeah." Elisabeth said, starting to get a little confused herself. "I just want you to know that I understand completely." She felt another tear fall and swiped that one away too. "I probably would feel the same way. If you want to…break up, then I'm okay with it." She closed her eyes, trying to block the tears.

She felt him sit down next to her and she opened her eyes.

He took her chin in his hand and pulled her face up towards him so that her chocolate brown eyes were looking dead into his sightless, icy blue ones.

"How could you ever think that I wanted to…break up with you?" he whispered.

"You don't want to?" she asked, confused. She was sure that was why he hadn't been speaking to her. She had assumed that he was trying to figure out how to tell her.

"No." he whispered. "I love you and nothing's going to change that. You were just doing what you thought was best."

"So, you forgive me?" she asked, her heart welling up with joy. He still loved her. Everything was okay. They were okay.

"There's nothing to forgive." he whispered, wiping stray tears off of her face. He kissed her on the cheek and let go of her face.

Something was still bugging her though.

"So, what were you thinking about? Angel said it had to do with me."

Iggy sighed and stood up. He reached into his pocket, but then pulled his hand back out and sat back down.

"Well, I…I…uh…close your eyes." he said, hurriedly.

"Why?" she asked, suspiciously.

"Please do it?" he asked.

She sighed heavily and did as he asked.

"Are they closed?"

"Yes." she replied.

"Guess I'll just have to trust you." he said, pulling something out of his pocket.

He put something around her neck.

_A necklace? _She asked herself.

"Okay." he said, after he hooked the clasp. "You can open them."

She opened her eyes and looked down.

It was a simple silver chain. It had a charm in the shape of a heart with wings.

"It's beautiful." she breathed.

"Did you read it?" he asked, anxiously.

She looked back down at it and saw that there was writing on it. On one wing, etched in elegant writing, was the word "_Iggy"_.On the other wing, in the same writing, was her name: "_Elisabeth"_.On the heart, was the word "_loves"_.

"Iggy loves Elisabeth." she whispered, tears in her eyes again.

She wiped them away and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug.

"So, you like it then?" he asked, chuckling.

She let go and said, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever gotten. How on Earth did you get it?"

"Dr. Martinez helped." he said, grinning. "But she doesn't know the reason I got it for you." he added.

"What'd you mean?" she asked, curiously.

"She thinks it's just a boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but it isn't."

"It's not?"

"No." He paused and then said, "Elisabeth, I need to ask you something."

"What?"

He took a deep breath and took her hands in his.

"I love you, more than anything in this world. With all that's been happening …well, I think now's the time I asked you."

"Asked me what?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

"Elisabeth, I want to know if…well, if you'll marry me." he said.

She gasped and said, "You mean right now?"

"No." he said, quickly. "Whenever you're ready. It can be five years from now if you want. It doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to ask, you know to be official. So what'd you say?" he asked, his heart pounding.

"Why didn't you ask me sooner?" she replied.

"So does that mean…"

"It means, that I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with." she said. "A million times yes."

Iggy then stood up and pulled her up with him. He took her in his arms and he kissed her.

He parted his lips and pressed the tip of his tongue to her lips, asking for permission to enter.

She granted him permission and their tongues touched. Elisabeth felt shivers go up her spine and she realized that she liked the feeling.

For a moment, they were part of each other. They were two souls entwined together. Nothing could make them part.

But Elisabeth started to get lightheaded. She couldn't breath. She was so disoriented that she couldn't tell if she cared or not.

But then, Iggy stopped kissing her and let go of her.

She gasped for breath, gulping in all of the air that she could. It burned her lungs.

Iggy, who was also out of breath, pulled his shirt off.

"It's kind of hot in here." he told her, breathlessly.

She nodded and breathed the word, "Yeah."

She pulled her black t-shirt off, revealing her white tank top.

After they caught their breath, Iggy wrapped his arms around her again.

They began kissing again.

Iggy had one hand on her waist and the other cradling her head.

Elisabeth had one arm around his neck. She placed her other hand on his bare chest and Iggy felt shivers go up his spine.

Neither wanted to stop, but once again, Elisabeth started to get lightheaded.

She lost her balance and fell on her bed. She felt a sharp pain and couldn't tell if it was coming from her wings or her back.

Iggy was down on her level in an instant.

"You okay?" he whispered in her ear.

She suddenly forgot about her throbbing pain and whispered, "Uh huh."

He was soon hovering over her and snaked one of his arms up the back of her shirt. He wrapped the other one around her middle.

She, still laying down, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her face towards his.

She put her lips on his.

Again, his lips parted, but this time he didn't need her permission. Her lips had parted too.

She was all his. Forever.

**So, did I do a good job describing that? I tried really hard to make that sound as good as possible. In the next chapter, you guys will get a huge shock. This is actually a cliffhanger. It picks up at a very interesting part in the next chapter. You'll just have to wait and see what happens. Trust me, you'll absolutely love it. It will definitely surprise you. Anyway, read and review. Updating as soon as I can and trust me, I will try to make it very soon. Well, I hope you liked this chapter. I know that I did. Like I said, I didn't know that I could write like that. I have truly gone above and beyond what I expected of myself. Well anyway, I'll see you guys later.**


	64. Chapter 63

**I hope you guys are ready for another wonderful chapter. Are you psyched? Well, you should be. Now, just to recap, in my last chapter, Iggy and Elisabeth have made up and Iggy proposed to Elisabeth. *Squeal really loudly here* I believe I left you hanging at a very…interesting part in the last chapter. Anyway, I won't make you wait for this chapter any longer. Here is Chapter 63 for all of you people who are about to pee in your pants with excitement.**

Elisabeth woke up extremely early the next morning, tangled up in her covers with Iggy.

She started to panic until she realized that they were both fully clothed.

She snuggled closer to him as she thought about what had happened the previous night.

_~Flashback~_

_Iggy had snaked his hand up the back of her shirt and started to undo her bra._

_One hook._

"_Yes." She thought._

_Two hooks._

"_Just one more." She thought with extreme anticipation._

_Iggy hesitated and then started to redo her bra. He then stopped kissing her, sat up, found his discarded shirt, and put it back on._

"_What'd you stop for?" she asked, breathing heavily and sitting up._

"_I was going way too far." he replied._

"_But, I wanted you to." she said, truthfully. _

_She had never wanted anything more than him. She had accepted his marriage proposal. She was his forever. She didn't want to wait. She couldn't wait. What if they died before they had a chance to get married? She had at least wanted to do this before anything else happened._

"_I know, but what if something happened? What if I got you pregnant?"_

_That thought scared him more than anything. What if the baby ended up like him? What if it was blind? There were just too many what ifs._

"_You wouldn't have. The chances are extremely slim." she said, doing the math in her head. _

_He sighed and said, "But there's still a chance." He took her hands and said, "It's not like I don't want to, but we're going into war. If I got you pregnant and then something happened to you or the baby, how do you think I'd feel?"_

_She felt tears well up in her eyes. "I never thought about that." She laid her head on his shoulder._

"_Besides, what would Max say when she found out? She'd kill us and so would Fang and Dr. Martinez."_

"_Didn't think about that either. And I'm supposed to be extremely intelligent." She gave a nervous chuckle._

_He was absolutely right. Max, Dr. Martinez, and even Fang would murder them. "How could you two be so irresponsible?" they'd say. _

_He had also brought up another good point: they were going into war. If something happened and she died, then so would the baby. Iggy would fall into a permanent state of misery. He might even become suicidal._

"_Would you want to have my baby?" Iggy asked suddenly, shocking her._

"_Of course." she answered. "Why would you think that I wouldn't?" She lifted her head up and looked into his eyes._

"_What if it turned out blind?" he asked, staring out the ground. "How could I live with myself knowing that I'm to blame for it. You could've had a perfectly fine baby if you didn't stay with me."_

"_Is that what you're worried about?" she asked. "Listen Iggy, you weren't born blind, so our baby wouldn't even have a chance of ending up blind. As for having a perfect baby, well with me for a mother, it'd have wings. That's not exactly perfect."_

"_True." he said, laughing._

"_Now do you feel better?" she asked, laughing with him._

"_I guess. What time is it?" he asked._

"_One in the morning." she groaned. "Time for bed."_

"_Yeah, guess I should go." He started to stand up, put she grabbed his hand._

"_You can stay." she told him. "As long as we wake up early enough, they'll never know."_

"_But what if…"_

"_You won't." she said. "You can stop yourself again. You're strong, a whole lot stronger than I am. You thought about the consequences while I didn't. I just thought about being with you forever. You thought that if you did continue, then you'd end up hurting me."_

"_Okay, but if we get in trouble, it was your idea." he joked._

"_Deal." she said, crawling up in her bed._

_He laid down next to her and pulled the cover over the both of them. He wrapped his arms around her. Even with their wings, they fit together perfectly. Like two pieces of a puzzle._

"_Night." he whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek._

"_Sleep tight." she whispered back, closing her eyes._

_They both drifted off into a peaceful, worry free sleep._

_~End Flashback~_

"Morning." Iggy whispered in her ear. She hadn't even noticed he had woken up.

"Morning." she whispered back. "Did you have a good sleep?" she asked.

"The best." he told her. "So, how are we gonna keep all of this from Angel."

"I've been working on that." she said, smirking. "All we have to do is keep our minds occupied. If we aren't thinking about last night, then she'll never know it happened."

"Sounds good to me." he said.

"Hey, are we going to tell the flock about us getting married?" she asked. She wondered how they would react.

"No." he replied. "If they find out, Nudge won't leave you alone until you let her plan the whole wedding. I want you to be absolutely ready for it. I don't want you to say you're ready just so Nudge'll shut up."

He paused and said, "By the way, what time is it?"

She sat up so she could see the clock. "It's six."

He groaned. "Have to get up in half an hour."

She laid back down, putting her head on his chest, and said, "You're already up"

He laughed and said, "Yes, but I mean I have to get up and go downstairs to make breakfast."

"You don't have to." she said, closing her eyes.

"Ok, then I'll just lay here until the flock realizes I haven't cooked breakfast yet. Then, they'll come looking for me and eventually find me in here. Now, how is this going to look to them?"

He had her there.

"Good point." she said. She then sighed and continued, "But I wish you didn't have to."

"I still have half an hour." he reminded her, kissing her on the cheek again.

"Actually, only fifteen minutes now." she said, sadly.

"Stupid clock." he muttered angrily.

"Better get up." she said, sitting up herself.

Iggy groaned, but hoisted himself up out of the bed.

"Later." he said, turning towards the door.

"Wait." Elisabeth said, searching for a pair of jeans. "I want to help you with breakfast."

He shook his head. "I want you to sleep." he said. "You've had it rough for the past couple of weeks. You deserve a nice long rest. Sleep." He ordered, backing out of the room and shutting the door gently behind him.

Elisabeth groaned and flopped back down on her pillows.

The necklace Iggy had given her fell on her chest as she landed on her bed.

She smiled and fingered the charm. It was a simple symbol of Iggy's love for her. It was also a promise, a promise of marriage. One little charm that had a whole lot of meaning.

_We're going to be together. __Forever. _She thought to herself. _Always._

**Isn't that amazing? I bet that didn't turn out how you thought it would. It was a shocker to me when I wrote it too. Anyway, read and review. Updating ASAP. Toodles.**


	65. Chapter 64

**Okay guys, today I have a little surprise for you. In this chapter, there is some…FAX!!!!!!!! Nothing major though. I know that you are all terribly excited. I got tons of amazing reviews about my last chapter. Okay, maybe not tons, but quite a few. It made me so happy. A whole lot of you told me you were speechless. This also made me extremely happy. I guess it really didn't turn out the way you expected. Anyway, let me get on with the mild Faxness. Applause is welcome. Chapter 64 for your reading pleasure.**

Fang woke up to a soft tap on his door.

At first he thought he had imagined it and attempted to go back to bed, but then it turned into a loud incessant pounding that seemed to shake the whole house.

"Come in already!" he yelled. Iggy was so dead. He had been in the middle of an excellent dream about… well, it wasn't important.

The door opened slowly and, instead of Iggy, Max walked in.

"Rude much." she told him smirking.

Fang felt so stupid at that moment.

"Sorry." he yawned. "Thought you were Ig."

"Well, thank you so much for the compliment." she said sarcastically. She shut the door and sat on Iggy's bed.

She glanced around the room and then, with a disgusted look on her face, asked, "When was the last time you cleaned this room? It's a pigsty." She picked up a dirty sock and tossed it at Fang.

It landed on top of his head. Fang, throwing the sock to the ground said, "Uh…can't remember. Maybe three weeks ago. And that was Iggy's sock."

Max cracked up laughing and Fang felt his heart lurch. She was so beautiful. Especially when she laughed.

_We're just friends. _He reminded himself. _If that's all she wants to be then, I'm fine with that._

He had told himself that lie so many times that you would think he would have actually started to believe it. No such luck.

"Fang?" Max asked, jerking him out of his thoughts. "You okay?"

Fang nodded and said, "Yeah. I just kinda spaced for a second. That's all." He chuckled nervously.

Max rolled her eyes at him. Sometimes, Fang was so weird. He'd just completely space out when she was talking to him. It had made her worry a little. This didn't used to happen.

_He just has a lot on his mind. _She would think to herself.

"So what's going on downstairs?" Fang asked, breaking the silence that had fell.

"The usual." Max replied, rolling her eyes again. "Nudge and Ella are talking about absolutely nothing, Angel's arguing with Total over something or other, Gazzy is trying to convince my mom to let him try out his new bomb in the garage, and Elisabeth and Iggy are acting a little weirder than usual." That was the understatement of the century. Something was definitely up with those two.

"So, I take it they made up?" Fang asked.

"Yeah, looks like it. How is a mystery since they didn't talk at all to each other yesterday and since Elisabeth was asleep when I came downstairs to see what Iggy was making for breakfast." It certainly was a mystery.

"So, what did he make?" Fang asked, trying to change the subject.

He didn't like to talk about his sister's relationship with Iggy because it just made him hurt for Max more. Not that he was hurting…a lot.

"Chocolate chip pancakes and bacon." she replied.

"Elisabeth's favorites." Fang muttered. "Surprise, surprise."

Max smiled, trying not to laugh. "Well, I guess I better head downstairs. Mom probably needs my help stopping a fight or something." She got up, walked over to the door, and hesitated with her hand on the handle.

She turned her head around to Fang and smiled. Then, she opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind her.

Fang shook his head and got up.

Max made him act like a total fool. Sometimes he was convinced that she thought he was the world's biggest idiot.

He quickly got dressed in a dark navy blue shirt and some jeans and headed downstairs.

He made his way into the dining room at sat down in his usual chair next to Max.

As he reached for his fork, he accidentally brushed her hand and felt his heart jolt.

Of course, Max didn't notice. She just kept on eating and lecturing Gazzy on all the reasons why he couldn't test out his new bomb in the garage.

Fang sighed and went back to eating.

That's when the doorbell rang.

**Okay, was that good? Like I said, it was just mild Faxness. Since this is an Iggy fic, I didn't want to put too much Fax in this chapter, but there will be a little more to come. Anyway, hope you enjoyed that. Read and review. Updating soon.**


	66. Chapter 65

**Ok everyone, time for another update. I know you all are on pins and needles waiting to see who is ringing the doorbell, so I'll make this simple. I am super glad that everyone liked the little bit of Fax that I had in the last chapter. I tried really hard to make that good just for you guys. Anyway, let me just get on with the story.**

"I'll get it." Dr. Martinez said, standing up and walking toward the door.

Everyone remained calm. It wasn't the Director. She wouldn't have rung the doorbell. Right?

"It's Chris, Caressa, and Colten!" Dr. Martinez shouted from the front door.

Everyone quickly made sure that no one's wings were visible and tried to look as normal as possible.

Chris, Caressa, and Colten walked in the room, cautiously. They had been inside the house before, but not recently. It had been over a month.

"Hi guys." Colten said, breaking the ice.

"Hey." Max said, pulling up a couple of extra seats for them.

"Uh, come on Angie, Alex, and Greg." Ella said, quickly standing up. "Let's go upstairs."

The younger kids followed her up the stairs in a rush. They knew something was up.

"So, what're you guys doing here?" Elisabeth asked, trying to fix the problem. "Wait, where's Kylie?"

Chris laughed and said, "About Kylie. We actually haven't seen her since last week."

"Why not?" Iggy asked, curiously. "She didn't go back to being an evil stuck up jerk did she?"

Caressa shook her head. "No, that's not it."

"Let me tell them." Colten said, smirking. "You guys know Chase Hardy right?"

"Sure." Max said, confused. "He's in band with you guys. He plays trombone, right?"

Caressa, Chris, and Colten all nodded.

"Wait." Elisabeth said, catching on. "You don't mean…"

"Yeah." Caressa squealed. "They're dating! It's so cute!"

"Girl talk." Fang muttered.

"Amen to that." Colten said, shaking his head.

"Okay, now we know why Kylie isn't here, but why are you guys here?" Iggy asked, getting back on track.

Chris, Caressa, and Colten shared a half-concerned, half-nervous glance.

"Well.." Caressa began, "We want to know…"

"Where you've been lately." Colten finished for her.

She sent him a thankful look and then turned her attention back to Iggy, Fang, Elisabeth, and Max.

This time, the older members of the flock all sent each other looks. They hadn't thought about what they were going to tell them. They hadn't really expected them to show up so soon.

"Well, we can't actually tell you." Max replied, slowly.

Caressa sighed and said, "Ok. We understand. Family stuff. None of our business."

Caressa's response confused them. She wasn't going to press the matter? That was new and sort of unusual. That had never happened before. They were usually badgered and Max had had to come up with some kind of made up story off the top of her head.

"Um…ok." Max said, uncertainly. "Anything else you want to know?"

"Just one thing." Chris spoke up. "Are you guys coming back to school? We had a huge math test and well, we miss you a lot. Especially Elisabeth's tutoring. I haven't been doing well in math and science since you left."

"Um, we aren't going back to school. Dr. Martinez is home schooling us now." Elisabeth answered.

"Why?" Colten asked.

"So that we don't miss a lot of school over…more family stuff." Iggy said.

"Ok then. That's all we wanted to know. If you can't tell us anymore than that's fine." Caressa told them. "But, if you want to, then we're here to talk."

The older members of the flock turned to each other again.

Should they tell Chris, Caressa, and Colten their secret?

They knew they wouldn't tell, but too many people knew already. Besides that they didn't want them to be in any danger.

On the other hand, it would be great to not have to lie to them. Things would be so much more open. They wouldn't have to hide anything anymore. They had had several close calls with Total.

But, they knew they couldn't do that.

"Sorry guys." Max told them sadly. "We wish we could, but we can't."

"Bummer." Colten replied, standing up.

"Well, better head to school then." Chris said, standing up.

"We'll come over soon." Caressa said, hugging Elisabeth. "I promise."

"See you later." Iggy told them.

Chris, Caressa, and Colten walked out the door, headed to school.

Max and Elisabeth groaned and slunk back down in their chairs.

"You had to." Dr. Martinez said, walking back in the dining room. "I know it sucks, but they can't know."

"It sucks, big time." Iggy said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah." Fang sighed. "But, there's nothing we can do about it."

"I think I'm going to need a nap." Iggy muttered and Elisabeth grinned.

Max and Fang didn't notice, thankfully, but Iggy still whispered, "Angel is always listening. Remember that."

"I know." she whispered back. "I wasn't thinking about it. I was thinking about the notes for 'Ode to Joy'. She's not hearing anything else. Trust me. I'm doing it pretty loudly."

"Ahem." Dr. Martinez coughed. "Iggy, Elisabeth…"

"Sorry Dr. M." Iggy said, hurriedly. "More pancakes anyone?"

"Oh, I'd love some more." Elisabeth said, catching on.

"I think I'll just go make some more then." Iggy said, getting up. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

He ran to the kitchen before anyone could say anything else.

Elisabeth sighed and played with her fork. She drew shapes in her syrup and thought.

_Will this ever stop? Will we ever go back to the way things were about two months ago before this crap started again? _

**Ok, that is the end of another chapter. I brought Colten, Chris, and Caressa back. This might be the last time you see them in this story, but they might be in the sequel. Just a small part, but they might be in it. Anyway, read and review. Updating soon.**


	67. Chapter 66

**Okay guys, here's another chapter. It's a filler, but it's pretty important. I am really close to finishing this story. I can't believe it, but I am. As soon as I get finished, I'm going to put up a little bit of my sequel, but first I need to come up with a name for it. I have a couple ideas like, 'In the Blink of an Eye' or 'My Melody' or 'Endurance'. I don't know though. I'll have to discuss it with my co-author who insists that I refer to her as Demon Heart for reasons unknown to me. Oh well, she's been my friend since the fourth grade and she's an awesome writer so I asked her to help me. I don't mind that she's a little crazy. I'm rambling, so let me just get on with the story.**

It was early in the afternoon and everyone in the house was off doing their own things.

Dr. Martinez was up in her room, probably pacing the floor, Max was taking a nice, long, hot shower, Fang was working on his blog, Angel, Ella, and Nudge were in their room doing who knew what, Gazzy was off somewhere, and Iggy and Elisabeth were sitting together, on the couch in the living room.

Elisabeth sighed heavily and Iggy asked her what was wrong.

"Nothing." she replied. "Just tired."

He nodded and she went back to thinking.

It was obvious that since the Director would be coming for them that the flock would have to pack up and leave. Elisabeth couldn't help but wonder what that would mean for her wedding. Could they still do it?

Elisabeth was sure she could convince Max to let them make a quick detour to Las Vegas. Elisabeth knew that they had drive in chapels there. She didn't mind if the wedding only lasted fifteen minutes and she had to get married in dirty jeans and a blood stained t-shirt. As long as it was official and she was truly Iggy's, then she could care less. Nudge wouldn't be too happy, but that was a small price to pay.

She had been too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice that Iggy's face was drawing closer and closer to hers.

When she noticed, she placed her lips on his and then kissed him.

He kissed her back, hard, not ever wanting to stop. She was so close to being his forever that it was eating him alive, but he knew he had to be patient. She'd let him know when she was ready. And if he knew Elisabeth, then he wouldn't have to wait much longer.

Suddenly Iggy heard someone come in the room. He stopped kissing Elisabeth and waited for whoever it was to speak. They better have a heck of a good excuse for ruining his perfect moment.

"Get a room." Gazzy said, disgusted. He had walked in the room to watch TV, not two hormone crazed teenagers.

Iggy was his best friend and he was happy for him, but he hated walking in on him and Elisabeth swapping spit. It made him want to hurl. He was at that phase where he was still a little disgusted by the thought of kissing and love. Too mushy for him. Way too mushy.

"We were in a room by ourselves 'till you showed up." Iggy said, half teasing, half seriously ticked.

Why did the Gasman have to choose that precise moment to walk in the room? What did the universe have against him?

At that moment, the phone started to ring. After two rings, it stopped. Apparently, Dr. Martinez had picked up the extension in her room.

"Can I watch something on TV?" Gazzy asked, walking towards the chair.

Iggy nodded and tossed him the remote.

Elisabeth shook her head and cuddled up closer to Iggy.

He smiled and turned his head toward the direction of the TV, only half listening to Gazzy's cartoon show. He was busy enjoying the moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dr. Martinez grabbed the phone as it started ringing.

She had been pacing her floor, worried. The flock was in major danger and no one knew for sure what was happening.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously. You could never be too careful these days. For all she knew, her phone lines may have been tapped and the Director was hanging on to her every word.

"Val?" It was Jeb.

"What do you want?" she asked, icily.

She sat on her bed. Sitting relaxed her and calmed her down and she needed to be calm. Jeb was not going to get her worked up again.

"Val, this is an emergency. I need to talk to Max."

"Oh no you don't." she said, already starting to get mad. "I am not having you make more secret plans with any member of the flock. You almost got Elisabeth killed last time."

She paused and when he didn't say anything, she continued. "What plan has Stacy come up with this time?"

"Val, Stacy's dead. The Director shot her. She figured out that she was helping me. She gave her an ultimatum: She could either tell her all of my plans and live or she could take my secrets to the grave." Jeb took a deep breath.

He was devastated when he had found out. No matter what Val said about her, he knew she was a very honorable and loyal and smart and beautiful woman and he loved her very much.

"I'm sorry to hear that Jeb." Dr. Martinez whispered softly. She hadn't meant to sound so horrible. She was just mad that Jeb was being so reckless with the flock. "So, what did you want to talk to Max about?"

Jeb took another deep breath and said, "She's coming Val. The Director is coming after the flock. She has an army and she's fighting to kill."

Dr. Martinez dropped the phone to the ground.

She was going to fight to the kill? This was very bad.

"Val?" she heard Jeb say on the phone. "Val?"

She picked up the phone and placed it to her ear.

"I'm here Jeb." she whispered, scared. "What're we going to do?"

"Tell the flock and prepare them for the fight. Tell Max that they have to stay there with you. Running won't do anything. You and Ella won't be saved just because the flock aren't with you when they get there. Actually, that'll be much worse for you. Just prepare them. I have no idea when she's coming, but it won't be long now. It's just a matter of days. I'm on my way. I don't know if I'll make it in time to help, but I'll try."

"Okay Jeb." she said. "I'll tell them." She hung up the phone and headed downstairs.

This was it. The big fight. She would help the flock prepare just like Jeb had told her. No one was dying on her watch.

**How was that? Sort of…different right? Thought we'd have a tiny bit of Iggabeth and then I wanted Jeb to call and tell Dr. Martinez what was going on. In the next chapter, she's going to tell the flock about what's going on. Tensions will be high and a few surprising things are going to happen in my last few chapters. Well, they aren't really surprising, but they are things you probably wouldn't think about. Anyway, keep reading and reviewing. Updating ASAP. Keep looking for an update.**


	68. Chapter 67

**Hey guys. Time for an update. I'm going to get something out of the way right now ok? I promise all of you that there will be Faxness, but not until the Director comes with her army alright. I know that right now with the Director coming and all that this is the perfect time for some major Faxness, but I wanted to put the major Faxness at a better place. It comes at the very end. You'll see, it'll be good, I promise. Now, I will have a little more Fax before that, but it's not until the end that the major stuff happens. Alright, that's all I had to say. Let me get right to the story. Here's Chapter 67 of all of you guys.**

Dr. Martinez ran into the living room, looking scared and like she was panicking.

Elisabeth was about to ask what was wrong, but Dr. Martinez cut her off.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked, quickly.

"Upstairs." Iggy answered slowly. "Something wrong Dr. M?"

She ran up the stairs as an answer. That wasn't like Dr. Martinez at all. She would have at least given them some kind of an explanation.

"Wonder what's up with her?" Gazzy asked, curiously.

"I dunno know Gasser." Iggy half whispered.

Something was obviously up. None of them had ever seen, or in Iggy's case heard, Dr. Martinez like this before. They were starting to get very worried.

She soon appeared with everyone else. They all looked confused so, obviously, she hadn't given them an explanation yet either.

Elisabeth moved into Iggy's lap so there would be more room on the couch for Ella, Nudge, and Angel. Max and Fang took a spot on the floor in front of the couch and Dr. Martinez pulled in a chair from the kitchen.

For a second no one said anything, but then Max spoke up.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked, looking concerned. She had just been dragged out of her shower apparently, because her hair was still dripping.

Dr. Martinez sighed and said, "Jeb just called. Stacy has been murdered and the Director is on her way with an army."

No one said a word. They didn't even breathe. This was the worst news possible. Now everyone knew for sure that they were about to leave Dr. Martinez and Ella forever.

Finally, Max spoke up again. "We're leaving. Now." She stood up and the flock moved, but they didn't make it up before Dr. Martinez put up her hand.

"Max, sit back down." Dr. Martinez ordered.

"Mom we have to-"

"Listen to me Max." Dr. Martinez interrupted. "I already talked it over with Jeb. You all are to stay here. The Director is not just going to spare me and Ella because you aren't here. In fact, it'll just make it worse for us. You need to stay here and prepare."

Max sighed, thinking about what she was going to do.

The whole flock watched as she contemplated their current situation.

What could she do? If they stayed, her mom and Ella would be in mortal danger. They could get hurt, or worse they could get killed.

But her mother had brought up a very good point. The Director wouldn't really spare Ella just because the flock had left. She'd probably torture them for information.

So what was Max going to do?

She took a long look at the flock and then nodded. "We'll stay." she answered.

"Good choice Max." Dr. Martinez said, smiling proudly.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Fang asked as Max sat back down beside him.

Dr. Martinez nodded and said, "Jeb says that the Director is on her way. She might be here in a matter of days. We have no idea how long it will take. Jeb is on his way now, but he might not get here in time to be any help."

"We need a plan of action then." Max announced. "Gaz, Iggy, and Elisabeth, I need you guys to make as many bombs as you can."

"Sweet!" the Gasman cheered, but when he saw the look on Max's face he shut his mouth.

"We'll definitely do it Max." Elisabeth said.

"Whatever needs to be done to protect the flock." Iggy said, nodding.

He grabbed Elisabeth's hand and gave it a little squeeze, signaling that he wanted to talk to her outside.

"Uh Max, me and Iggy need to go outside for a second okay?" Elisabeth said, standing up.

Max nodded and continued making battle plans with the rest of the flock.

Iggy stood up and walked with Elisabeth to the back door.

He opened it and held it for her while she stepped outside, just like her first night with the flock.

She walked to the edge of the porch and he soon joined her, placing his hand on top of hers.

"So, want to tell me why we're out here?" Elisabeth asked, staring out into the yard, towards the woods where she had shared her first kiss with Iggy.

He took a huge breath and said, "Well, this is it."

"What's it?" she asked, turning her face towards him.

"This is the huge battle. This might be the end."

"Please don't say that." she begged him. She didn't want to think about that.

"Well, you know it's true." He placed his arm around her shoulder. "I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I still love you."

"I love you too." she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "And I want you to know that I am ready to marry you. I've always been ready. I never wanted to wait."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and he held her tighter.

"I promise that as soon as this is over, we'll tell everyone. We'll let Nudge plan the whole thing if that's what you want. It doesn't matter, so long as I'm yours and you're mine." he whispered, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"I could care less either. As long as I don't have to wear a big frilly dress it doesn't matter." she told him.

"To be honest, I really can't see you in a big frilly dress." he said, laughing in her ear.

"So, after this thing is over, we'll make plans?" she asked.

"If this thing is over." he muttered.

"Iggy please." she begged him again. "Let's not talk about that."

She was scared that he would be right and that this thing would never end. She was scared she'd lose him. She was scared that one of them would die. But she didn't want to think about that prospect.

"I'm sorry." he said. "You're right. Well, we better get back."

"Yeah, guess so." she said, sighing.

Iggy walked her in, with his arm still draped over her shoulder.

"Done making out?" Fang asked, trying to lighten the mood as they walked in and sat back down on the couch.

"Shut up Fang." Ella growled. "I think it's sweet." she cooed.

"Yeah well, while you two were gone we decided on a couple of things." Max told them, getting back to business.

"What?" Elisabeth asked, settling herself back in Iggy's lap.

"Well, we need to keep some weapons and things around the house. Stuff like your bombs and bats and crow bars and other stuff like that. The other thing is that it might be a good idea to brush up on our fighting again. Elisabeth, you can teach us some of those moves that you learned back at the School. And, we need to teach Ella a few moves just in case." she told them.

"Sounds good." Iggy said.

"Well, I have a few other things to say." Dr. Martinez interjected. "We can't go any where until all of this is over. We can't order out for pizza or use the phone at all. It's too risky."

"Ok. Sounds doable." Max said.

"Hey Ig, wanna get started on those bombs now?" Gaz asked.

Iggy nodded and said, "Sure."

He and Elisabeth hopped up and headed for the garage to get started.

Everyone had a lot of work to do.

**Okay, little more Iggabeth and some action plans going on. Hope you guys liked that. I worked on it forever. Took me like three hours to write. Anyway, read and review guys. Updating real soon.**


	69. Chapter 68

**Hey everybody! In case you haven't already guessed, this is another update. You see, I didn't want the huge fight to come too soon, so my next three chapters are going to be fillers. One of those last two might have some Faxness, but we shall see. It depends, but I will try really hard to make it work just for you guys. There will also be some Iggabeth in all three chapters, but loads more in the third one. I'm really glad you all love my story. I don't think the sequel is going to disappoint you guys. It's not going to be as good as this one, sequels rarely are, but it will be pretty awesome anyways. Well, let's just go ahead and start with Chapter 68. Hope you all love it. **

Iggy wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

He, the Gasman, and Elisabeth had been working on bombs in the garage for about an hour and it was pretty warm in there.

"Is it just me or is this garage really toasty?" he asked, putting down his screw driver.

"No, it's not just you." Elisabeth replied, pulling her hair into a ponytail to keep it from sticking to the back of her neck.

"Let me ask Dr. Martinez where she put the fan." Gazzy said, exiting the garage and heading into the house.

"Okay, let's get back to work." Iggy said, picking his screw driver back up.

"Okay, remember you have to connect the green and the yellow wires after you attach the blue and red ones." Elisabeth reminded him.

"I know." he assured her.

Soon, the Gasman returned with a huge fan.

"Sweet relief." Elisabeth said, as he plugged it up and turned it on.

It didn't take long for the garage to cool down. The temperature dropped at least six degrees. They could finally concentrate on their work.

"Much better." Iggy sighed.

"Great!" Gazzy shouted, frustrated. He threw up his hands. "Just great."

"What's wrong?" Elisabeth asked, walking over towards him.

"I connected the wires, but nothing happened."

"Hmm. It looks like you connected them right." Elisabeth said, observing Gazzy's work. "Blue with red and yellow with green."

She took a closer look. "Oh, wait here's the problem." she said, and unattached two of the wires. "You hooked the wrong red one to the wrong blue one. It should work now."

"Oh, I see. Thanks Elisabeth." he said, turning back to the bomb.

"No problem." she shrugged.

"That's my girl." Iggy said, proudly. "She always know what she's talking about."

Elisabeth turned a little pink. "It's really nothing. Gazzy just made a simple mistake. Anyone could've done it."

"Yeah, but still." Iggy replied.

"Ok, finished with this one." Elisabeth said, putting the bomb she just finished in a pile of other bombs.

"Me too." Iggy said, also placing his in a pile.

"Just about…done." Gazzy said, wiping his hands on his pants and placing his bomb in the pile.

"Think this is enough?" Elisabeth asked.

"Should be. Time to take inventory?"

Elisabeth nodded. "Okay, we have the ones that just erupt a cloud of smoke."

"To confuse the whitecoats." Gazzy added.

"The ones that can destroy thirty Flyboys at once." she continued.

"Yep." Iggy said, pointing to the pile. "Just enough so everyone can have two."

"And, the big one?"

"Ready." Gazzy said, patting a big, deadly looking bomb.

"Our secret weapon." Iggy said, rubbing his hands together, like a mad scientist.

"I don't think we'll have to use it though." Elisabeth said, taking a seat on an old beach chair.

"Better safe than sorry." Gazzy said. "You never know."

There was a moment of silence.

They were thinking about what was going to happen. Who knew what was going to go on in the next few days. Maybe Max's plan wouldn't work. Maybe someone would get seriously injured. Maybe someone would die.

Or, maybe it would work. Maybe they'd win. It was difficult to say really. A lot could happen. A lot would happen.

Elisabeth sighed and said, "I just hope this works."

Iggy nodded. "It better work. Otherwise…" He trailed off. He didn't want to say anything about the wedding in front of the Gasman. He wouldn't be able to keep the secret.

"Otherwise what?" Gazzy asked, suspiciously.

"Otherwise…we're doomed." Elisabeth said, slowly.

Iggy sent her a thankful glance and even though he couldn't see, she returned it with a smile. Somehow she knew he knew that she had smiled.

"Well, we've done about all we can do." Iggy said, standing up.

"I suppose so." Elisabeth said, also standing. She stretched and linked arms with Iggy.

"How about we have someone go and get Max and Fang and everyone?" Gazzy asked. "That way we can show them everything."

"Sounds good to me." Elisabeth said. "How about I go and get Max and Fang and Gaz, you can get the others."

"Sounds good." Gazzy said.

"I'll get Dr. M." Iggy volunteered.

"Alright, let's go then." Elisabeth said, and they all headed upstairs.

**Okay, hope you liked that chapter. Not as much Iggabeth as I would have hoped, but it's still pretty good. Anyway, read and review. Updating soon. Very soon.**


	70. Chapter 69

**Hi people. See? I told you I'd update soon. Anyway, as I promised this chapter has a little Fax…well, sort of. It's more of Fang trying to have a moment with Max, but things get in the way. Well, anyway, I still hope you like it. If you don't, well, I tried. Okay, so here we go with Chapter 69. Enjoy!**

Max was sitting alone, relaxing on the couch, when Fang walked into the living room.

She didn't hear him come in, so when he plopped down next to her on the couch, she jumped a mile.

"Why did you scare me like that?" she asked him. "Almost gave me a heart attack."

Fang gave a small chuckle and said, "Sorry Max."

"You better be." she muttered.

They sat in silence, both seemingly staring at the wall in front of them.

_Typical. _Fang thought to himself. _Here I am, finally getting a moment alone with Max and neither of us are talking._

"So…" Fang said, trying to start up a conversation. "You scared?"

Max sighed. "To death." she admitted. "But, if you tell anyone that I'll murder you and then deny it."

Fang nodded.

He wouldn't tell. The flock would freak if they knew Max was scared. They'd think they were doomed and feel so much worse. Someone needed to have control and that someone was Max. If she was scared, everyone would feel hopeless.

He quickly stole a glance at Max.

She was so beautiful, so powerful, so fierce. He secretly wondered if this was the last moment they would share together. Should he tell her how he really felt, or was that a bad idea? When would be a good time to tell her? When one of them was an inch from death?

He took in a shaky breath.

It was now or never.

"Max?" he asked, getting her attention.

"Yeah Fang? What is it?" she asked, eyeing him the concern.

"Um, well you know how we're going into this war right?" he asked, not sure of how he should go about telling her his feelings. He wasn't very good at it.

"Yeah." she said, unsurely.

"Well, I have something important to tell you." he said, trying to get to the point.

Max opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment Gazzy shouted for her from downstairs.

"Just a sec Fang." she said, getting up and heading downstairs.

_Great. _He thought as she left. _Perfect timing Gaz._

"You like her don't you?"

Fang jumped a little at the sound of the voice.

Elisabeth walked into the living room.

"I didn't hear you come in." he said, surprised.

"You think you're the only one who can come into a room all silent and ninja like? I am your sister after all." she said, smirking.

She sat down on the couch next to him, in the same spot Max had been sitting in.

"You like her don't you?" she repeated.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Fang said, pretending he was confused.

"Whatever." she said, rolling her eyes. "It's as plain as day."

"And since when are you an expert on love?" he asked, annoyed.

"Never said I was." she replied. "But, it's kind of obvious."

"If it's so obvious, then why doesn't Max seem to notice?"

"Maybe she does and is unsure about how she feels, so she doesn't want to say anything." Elisabeth said, wisely. "Or, maybe she can tell, but she wants you to tell her how you feel yourself."

Fang thought about what Elisabeth said. He had never thought that that was why Max had flown away when he had kissed her all of those times. Now that he thought about it, it made a whole lot of sense.

"So, should I tell her then?" he asked.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Cause, you do know everything." he answered.

She sighed and said, "I don't know. Have you tried before?"

"Sort of." he replied.

"What do you mean 'sort of'?" she asked him, raising her eyebrows.

"I've kissed her before."

"How did she react?"

He groaned. "She flew away."

Elisabeth sighed, "There's your problem. You're going too fast. Girls don't like that."

"Yeah, but Iggy kissed you before explaining anything. That seems to have turned out fine." he retorted.

She laughed and said, "Yeah, that turned out so well. I told him to go away and leave me alone remember?"

"Oh, right." he said. "But everything turned out okay."

"Yeah, but then again, I am your twin sister. I'm more like you, which means I'm not that bothered by stuff like that. Max isn't like that. You need to sit down, alone, and talk it all out." she advised.

"But when should I tell her? I can't get a moment alone with her."

"There is a thing called an 'opportune moment'." she said.

"You've been watching Pirates of the Caribbean again, haven't you?" Fang asked, suspiciously.

She shrugged. "Maybe I have. But that's not the point. Maybe this just isn't the opportune moment. Maybe the universe just isn't ready. Maybe you just aren't ready."

"Since when did you get all philosophical?" he asked.

"I read." she answered.

"Fang! Get down here!" Max shouted from downstairs.

"Wonder what's going on?" Fang asked, worried.

"Oh shit." Elisabeth said. "I forgot. I was supposed to come and get you and Max."

"Then, how come Gazzy got her?"

"He must have thought I was looking for you and not Max like I was supposed to." she answered. "Come on."

They headed down the stairs and into the garage.

"Finally." Iggy said, walking up to Elisabeth. "What took you so long?"

"We were talking." Elisabeth said, trying not to think about the conversation she had had with Fang. She didn't know if Angel could keep that quiet.

_I can. _She answered. _I've done it before. But, something still needs to be done._

_It'll happen when they're ready. _Elisabeth told her.

"Okay, so what did you three want to show us?" Dr. Martinez asked Iggy, Elisabeth, and the Gasman.

"Well, we wanted to talk to you guys about the different bombs we made." Iggy said.

Elisabeth picked up one of the small ones.

"Okay, the one I have in my hand is very small, but very powerful. Kind of like Angel. It'll take out about thirty or forty Flyboys at once. We only made enough for two apiece though, so use them with care."

Iggy picked up another bomb.

"These are just your standard bombs, the ones me and the Gasman use all the time. You all already know what they do."

Max nodded her head. She knew well.

"What's the big one?" Ella asked.

All three of them grinned from ear to ear.

"That's our secret weapon." Gazzy explained. "We're only going to use it in case of extreme emergency."

"What's it do?" Dr. Martinez asked, nervously.

Elisabeth laughed. "Absolutely nothing."

They all looked completely confused.

"You see, we're just going to use it as a threat, in case they try to kill us or something." Iggy told them. "We're giving it to Gaz, Nudge, and Angel since they're the youngest and need the most protection."

"I get it." Ella said. "It looks lethal, so the whitecoats will be terrified if you threaten them with it."

"Exactly." Gazzy said.

"Genius." Max whispered. "Smart thinking guys."

"It was Gazzy's idea." Elisabeth told them.

"Well, it's a good one." Dr. Martinez said, taking a closer look at it.

"What about these?" Fang asked, pointing to the last kind of bomb they made.

"Oh, those. Well, all those do is erupt a thick black smoke." Elisabeth answered.

"We're hoping it'll confuse the whitecoats a little. In case we need to stall or something." Iggy explained.

"You guys did an excellent job." Max told them. "Okay, how about some dinner Ig?"

"Yeah, come one. Let's go guys." Iggy said.

Everyone walked upstairs, but Fang and Elisabeth lingered.

"Still think I should wait?" he asked.

"In my honest opinion, I think it's best." she answered.

"Elisabeth?!" Iggy shouted. "You coming?!"

"Yeah, Ig! I'm coming!" she headed upstairs.

Fang slowly followed, turning out the light as he went.

He hoped Elisabeth was right. He hoped he was doing the right thing.

**Okay, well as I said, not very much Faxness. In fact, I don't think you can really call that Faxness. Oh well. Now you know what the big bomb does. That idea was given to me by a friend. Anyway, read and review. You guys are so awesome. I smile a lot and squeal all high pitched and loud when I get a review, much to the dismay of my family. Okay, updating soon. As I said, Iggabethness is in the next chapter. It's probably going to be a fairly short one though. Just thought I'd warn you. TTFN!**


	71. Chapter 70

**Here's another update! As I promised, there is some Iggabeth in this chapter. What is going to happen in the next chapter? Good question. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose. All right, this starts a few hours after dinner. Hope you like it.**

Dinner was very difficult. No one said much because they were all too busy thinking about what was going to happen to them in the next few days.

That was why, at around midnight, Elisabeth was still wide awake in her bed.

She was so worried that she couldn't get to sleep. She tried not to think too much, not until Angel fell asleep anyway. She didn't want Angel to hear any of her thoughts.

She was mostly thinking, and worrying, about the wedding.

She wondered if Iggy was right. She wondered if they would be holding a funeral instead.

The Director had an army. A huge army filled with Flyboys and crazy, power hungry whitecoats.

There was only seven of them, plus Dr. Martinez and Ella, who probably weren't going to be too much help. They really didn't stand a chance. Maybe the bombs wouldn't work. Maybe they wouldn't have enough. Anything was possible.

She also wondered if any members of the flock could actually kill anyone. She knew Max had once killed Ari, but that had been an accident. Could any of them actually mean to kill someone, even to save themselves and their friends?

The Director would definitely have no problem killing them. She was insane and twisted. Elisabeth had learned that the week she had been her faithful servant. She still had nightmares.

She knew one thing though. No matter what happened, Iggy would still love her and she would still love him.

However, she was still worried.

What if Iggy died? What if he died trying to save her? How could she live with herself, whether it was her fault or not? Would she end up killing herself because that was the only way she could see him again?

What if she died? What if she died, trying to save Iggy? What would he do? Would he kill himself? How could he go on? What would become of him?

The more she thought about it, the harder it was for her to fall asleep. And that was why, try as she might, she wasn't going to be getting any sleep at all that night.

Suddenly and very unexpectedly, her door slowly creaked open.

She jolted up in her bed, now on high alert. She was ready for anything.

"Elisabeth?" A familiar voice whispered from the darkness.

Iggy walked into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible.

She turned on her lamp light as he shut the door carefully behind him.

"What're you doing in here so late?" she asked him as he sat down next to her on her bed.

"You didn't fall asleep. I was worried." he replied softly.

"How did you know I wasn't asleep?" she asked curiously.

"I couldn't hear you through the wall. Not a single sound. You snore a little when you sleep. Not like a chainsaw, but more like a cat purring. It's cute." he told her, smiling.

"Wait, so you stay up every night until you're sure I'm asleep before you go to bed?" she asked, frowning.

"Yeah. I told you I worry about you." he said, pulling her into a hug. "So, wanna tell me why you aren't asleep yet?" he whispered softly in her ear.

She sighed and said, "I can't fall asleep. I keep worrying."

"About what?" he asked her.

"Well, the wedding for one thing. I'm also worried about whether we're going to survive this." she said, confiding her feelings in him.

"The wedding's no big thing." he assured her. "When Nudge finds out, she'll make sure you have nothing to worry about. She'll take care of everything, trust me."

"I know." she sighed. "But, I'm still a little worried."

"It's understandable." he whispered comfortingly. "I'm a little worried too to be perfectly honest. Mostly about Nudge planning the whole thing."

She chuckled.

"There's the girl I know and love." he said, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck.

"Alright, but I'm still scared about what's going to happen." she told him, hoping for more comforting words.

"What'll happen will happen." he said, wisely. "We don't know what's going to happen. The best thing to do is not to dwell on it too much."

"But what if I die?" she asked. "What if you die? What's going to happen then? I don't know about you, but I'm not so sure I could live without you."

This time Iggy took a little longer to respond.

"Well, I can't guarantee that that won't happen, but what if I promise you something?" he asked, finally.

"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What if I promise that if anything happens to you, I'll try to go on? That way you don't have to worry about me." he proposed.

She thought for a second and then replied, "Okay. And if anything happens to you, I'll try to go on."

"Okay, that's settled. So, now can you get to sleep?" he asked her.

"No, I don't think so. I'm still going to have trouble since it's pretty late now." she told him.

"How about if I help you fall asleep?" he asked.

"How?"

In response, his hands went up the back of her shirt.

Her muscles tightened, a nervous reaction.

He noticed her stiffening and whispered, "Don't worry."

He brought his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them.

She relaxed.

It felt good. Iggy had the magic touch. She never felt so relaxed, so good.

She hadn't noticed that her shoulders were sore until he started to rub away the pain and stiffness.

She moaned with satisfaction and he chuckled, moving down to just below her wings.

She moaned again and he stopped for a moment to trail kisses down her neck.

He soon started rubbing circles on her back again.

Not long after he started, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Iggy stopped when he heard her soft snoring fill the room. It was music to his ears. She was going to be just fine.

He gently laid her down on her bed and tucked her in. He kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams. I love you."

She smiled in her sleep, even though she was obviously unaware of what he said.

He quietly backed out of the room and went to lie in his bed.

He could still hear her snores on the other side of the wall. Now he could finally go to sleep.

He yawned, closed his eyes, and began to dream of Elisabeth.

**So, did you like that? I thought it would be cute. Okay, so I will try and update soon. You guys just keep reading and reviewing. You know how much I love it. In the next chapter, we get back to serious business. No more fillers. Well, bye guys.**


	72. Chapter 71

**Okay guys, here is the chapter you've been waiting for. This is the beginning of the epic battle between the Director and the flock. Sadly, this means that my story is almost over. But, on a positive note, it also means that soon I'll be putting up my sequel. I know you all are really excited about that. But, we still have a little while until that happens. As of now, I have no idea how many chapters are left or when I'll be finished, but I'm guessing about five or six chapters so it'll probably be finished by the end of this month. Remember, this is just a guess. Well, here we go with Chapter 71.**

The flock worked hard the next few days, preparing for their battle. Elisabeth had been showing them some new moves, Ella had learned how to defend herself pretty well, Max had reminded them all of the weak points on Flyboys, and Iggy had drilled them on how to properly use their bombs.

They were pretty well trained, but they all secretly knew that no amount of training could really prepare them. When it came down to it, they would have to rely on their wits.

The problem was they had no idea what the Director and her army were planning. They knew that they would probably fight dirty, but that wasn't much help.

Another thing was they had no idea how many whitecoats the Director was planning on bringing. Once they figured out a whitecoats weakness, they could easily be taken down. However, the whitecoats were people and, therefore, unpredictable.

Flyboys, on the other hand, were harder to beat, but extremely predictable because they were robots.

The flock had a plan of action though. They would make sure the battle took place in the woods, on their own territory. They had been taking walks through the woods and making notes of everything so they would know the land better. They had also gotten a bird's eye view.

And that is what they had been doing that Saturday. Max had gotten them all up early so they could make sure they knew everything about the woods behind their house.

Iggy had cooked a quick breakfast and they had left.

First they walked inside the deep, dark woods, memorizing every detail. Then they flew over them, again memorizing the lay of the land.

When Max was satisfied, they headed back to the house for lunch and then some more combat practice.

But, they were met by something that had changed their plans: the Director was standing right in the yard, looking as calm as could be.

Every member of the flock tightened their hands into fists and stood ready and alert. It was go time and anything could happen.

"Maximum." the Director said like she was greeting an old friend.

"Where's your army?" Max growled. She looked ready to kill.

The Director chuckled and said, "Oh they're nearby. I just wanted to give you a chance to give in."

"Fat chance." Fang snapped. He also looked ready to rip the Director's throat out. His dark brown eyes were blazing with hate.

The Director smirked. "Now, I think Maximum can answer for herself."

"Hmm, let me think for a second." Max said, pretending to give it some thought. "Give in and spend the rest of my life in a freaking cage or don't give in and have freedom. I choose not."

The Director sighed and said, "Have it your way then."

She pulled a walkie-talkie out of her pocket. "Alright, here's how my little game works. You all run off into the woods and then my army goes after you. You can split up any way you want to, I really don't care. It's all the same to me, either way you die. Now, I will let one of you live and that'll be whichever one of you that survives the longest. I'll give you a minute to figure out how you will split up and then, the chase will begin."

"What if we refuse to play?" Elisabeth snarled.

The Director chuckled. "Well, then I'll just have to kill Dr. Martinez and little Ella."

"What've you done with them?!" Max shouted, feeling at fault.

"Nothing yet. I just have them tied up in a closet in the house. The door is being guarded." the Director assured her. "But if you were to refuse to play my little game then, well it's hard to say what would become of them."

"You wouldn't dare." Iggy said angrily.

"All I have to do is make a little call."

"Fine." Max said. "We'll do it."

"Good." the Director sneered. "You have one minute."

Max stood in silence. Their best bet was to have separate conversations with Angel through their minds. She could speak for everyone, so the Director couldn't hear.

_Our best bet is to split up Max. I know you don't like it, but it'll be harder for them to get us that way. Iggy and Elisabeth can go together, you and Fang, and me, Gaz, and Nudge. We'll all be fine. We have the bombs._

_Ok Angel. Don't go 'till I say so._

"You have fifteen seconds." the Director spoke up.

"Now!" Max yelled and everyone bolted in different directions.

The Director pressed a button on her walkie-talkie.

"The games have begun." she said, grinning evilly. "They've split up. The chase is on. Go after them now."

There was static on the other end and then a voice said, "Yes Director. We know what to do."

The Director hung up. Soon, she would be the winner. She hoped either Maximum, Fang, or Elisabeth would be the last one standing. She could use them. Angel would probably be useful too, but she was still too young.

_Oh well. _She thought. _I'll take what I can get._

**Wow. Well, I hope you found that very interesting. I just want to thank you guys for your reviews. They keep me going. Well, in the next chapter, we follow Fang and Max. Again, Fang attempts to have a quick moment with Max, but it gets ruined yet another time. Well, keep reading and reviewing. I'll update soon. Bye-bye.**


	73. Chapter 72

**Alright guys, before I begin, I have a couple of things to say. A few of you have asked me when I'm posting the sequel and what it's going to be called. I really can't give you guys an exact date for when I'll be posting the sequel, but I will have the first two chapters up a week after I end this story. As for the title, I don't have a definite one yet, but I do have some ideas. Here are a few of my ideas: 'Endurance', 'My Melody', 'Letting Go', 'Trying Out My Wings', or 'In the Blink of an Eye'. I really can't say what the title will be though. It might not be any of those choices. Well, with that said, let's get on with Chapter 72. You guys will like it. Be warned. It is a little short.**

Fang and I took off, going west. I hated to split from the flock, but Angel was right. It would be a lot harder to catch us if we were in smaller groups. Besides, the others would be okay. I knew they would.

"Crap, we've got company." Fang muttered darkly before we got very far.

I looked over my shoulder and saw about thirty Flyboys. They were right behind us, catching up fast.

_Think Max, think. _I told myself, willing my brain to come up with a plan.

And then, it hit me like a bomb.

"Fang!" I shouted at him quickly. "Take my hand!"

He looked at me, like I was crazy or something. Maybe I was.

"Why?" he asked.

"I'm gonna kick it into high gear." I explained. I was going to use my super speed to get us away from those Flyboys.

He looked at me warily, but took my hand anyway.

His hand was a little sweaty and as soon as it took mine, my heart leapt into my throat. What a time for my stupid teenage hormones to kick in.

I ignored the feeling and concentrated on getting the hell away from those Flyboys.

Soon, we were traveling at the speed of light. Alright, I'm exaggerating. I really can't fly at the speed of light. It's impossible, but I think we were pretty darn close.

I so badly wanted to turn around and see how Fang was reacting to the intense speed, but I decided against it. I wanted to put as much distance between us and those Flyboys as possible before I stopped.

When I was positive we were far enough away from the Flyboys, I slowed down and started to descend.

As soon as we landed, I immediately dropped Fang's hand. My heart stopped pounding and returned to its normal speed.

Fang wobbled for a second and then tossed his cookies right in front of me. Trust me, you don't want me to go into detail about that. Let's just say, Iggy's eggs looked way better on the plate.

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and wobbled for another second before he managed to keep upright and on his feet.

"You okay?" I asked.

He gave me a look that plainly said, "Did you not just see me puke up my guts?". Then he replied, "Yeah, I think I just left my stomach about three miles back."

I let out a chuckle and he smirked, making me blush.

I quickly turned my head, but I knew he saw it anyway. Why was I such a spaz?

I turned around again, and was surprised to see that Fang was standing right behind me. His face was so close to mine that I could see myself reflected in his dark eyes.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"What?" he asked, smirking again.

"Did you want something?" I asked, feeling slightly annoyed. We were all in danger and he chose that moment to be impossible. What was with him?

"Actually, I did." he said, becoming serious.

I was taken aback. Fang looked like he was struggling with something. What was wrong?

"What?" I asked, getting a little freaked out.

He sighed and backed up a little bit.

I was thoroughly confused. What was going on?

He took another deep breath and bit his lip.

"Out with it!" I said, getting impatient. Why couldn't he just ask his stupid question and let me stop worrying.

He took another deep breath and said, "Remember a few days ago when I was trying to talk to you?"

I suddenly remembered that I was supposed to have finished that conversation with him. With everything that happened in the last few days, I had almost forgotten.

I nodded and then said, "You gonna tell me what that was about?" Needless to say, I was curious.

He nodded and then paused. He seemed to be thinking about how he was going to say what was on his mind.

But, before he could tell me, we heard a blood curling scream pierce the air.

"Nudge!" we both shouted.

He grabbed my hand, causing my heart to begin thundering in my chest.

We got up in the air and I started going at super speed.

I knew Fang didn't like flying that fast, but I also knew that he realized we had to get to Nudge as fast as possible.

_We're coming. _I thought, trying to reach Angel. _Hold on just a little longer._

**Okay, like I said that was a little short. In my next chapter, we will go to Iggy and Elisabeth. This is going to be a very exciting chapter. Anyway, read and review please. Updating soon. **


	74. Chapter 73

**Hi everyone. Well, this is a very exciting chapter for Iggy and Elisabeth. You'll just have to read to see what happens. I'm really sorry it took so long for me to put up the last chapter, but I had a load of things going on. You understand right? Well, this chapter should make up for it. Well, anyway, let me just go ahead and get on with this chapter because I know you are all just itching for me to get started. I will not disappoint you. So, without further ado, here is Chapter 73. Enjoy!**

Iggy and Elisabeth flew as fast as they could.

Weirdly enough, they weren't being chased by Flyboys or anything. They thought it was a little strange, but they weren't complaining. They were safe for a while.

They found a good place to land and descended, checking to make sure no Flyboys had shown up.

When they landed, Elisabeth sat down to catch her breath.

"I think we'll be okay." Iggy told her. "No one followed us."

"That's what you think." a cruel voice said from out of no where.

Elisabeth jumped up and turned around.

It was the creepy old whitecoat that had hit on her. With him was the other whitecoat, the blonde one who always looked nervous.

"What're you doing here?" Elisabeth asked.

Iggy's hands tightened into fists. His fingernails were digging into his skin, but he didn't care. He had to protect Elisabeth. He wouldn't let them hurt her.

"The Director told us which way you were going." the creepy old man said, grinning evilly. Elisabeth could see his yellow teeth. He flashed a walkie-talkie and then shoved it back in his pocket.

Suddenly, Iggy lunged at them and Elisabeth followed, fighting them off.

Several minutes later, the old whitecoat had Elisabeth by the neck and the other one had Iggy, also by the neck. They had been overpowered. It seemed impossible, but that was what had happened.

The old whitecoat managed to pull a knife out of his pocket and held it to Elisabeth's throat.

She let out a whimper. She was going to die. He was going to kill her. It was all over. There would be no wedding. She'd never see Iggy again. Never.

"Scared are you, you little slut." the whitecoat growled at her.

Iggy struggled to break free, but the whitecoat holding him tightened his grip.

No one was going to call his Elisabeth a slut and get away with it.

"Let go of her!" he shouted.

He wasn't going to let him kill Elisabeth. He'd kill him first. They were supposed to get married, not die like Romeo and Juliet. This wasn't how it was supposed to end.

"Oh, do you love the little bitch?" the whitecoat jeered.

Iggy struggled some more, trying to break free. The whitecoat holding him just tightened his grip even more.

The old whitecoat just laughed. "Well, how sweet. It's a pity you won't be able to watch her die. Oh well, I guess you can still hear her beg for mercy. I'll give her mercy all right. I'll slit her throat and it'll all be over."

Iggy continued to struggling, still not making any progress.

"Oh, don't worry." he continued. "You'll join her. Dr. Evans is going to break your neck and end your miserable life once your precious little girlfriend is dead." He howled with laughter.

He pressed the knife closer to Elisabeth's throat.

Elisabeth let out another whimper and Iggy let out a strangled cry.

He was going to lose her. She was going to die. He was letting her down again. This couldn't be how it ended. They had made so many plans.

"It's ok Iggy." Elisabeth told him, holding back her tears. She had to stay brave for him.

"No, it's not." he told her, also holding back tears. "Don't lie to me."

"I promise it will be okay." she said.

He knew it was an empty promise, but he didn't want to spend his last moments fighting with his true love. It wasn't right.

"Well, if you two are quite finished, I have some business to take care of."

Iggy felt a sudden urge of hate and power course through his body. He managed to break free of the whitecoat's grip and to knock him out.

He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The old whitecoat panicked. He tightened his grip on Elisabeth and said, "One more step and she's dead."

Iggy hesitated and the whitecoat watched him, waiting for him to move.

Elisabeth seized her opportunity to break free. She somehow managed to bite down on the whitecoat's arm, causing him to let go of her and drop the knife.

Elisabeth felt her neck and noticed that she had a cut. Nothing too serious.

She looked at Iggy, who was locked in combat with the old whitecoat.

Iggy had his arm, which had the knife in it. He was trying to force it to the whitecoat's throat so he could kill him.

The whitecoat was trying to do the same to Iggy.

They struggled for a while until Iggy managed to bring it right to the old man's throat.

"Never call my girl a slut or a bitch." he said through clenched teeth, and then he killed him.

He had slit the whitecoat's throat.

The man fell to the ground, bleeding.

Iggy dropped the knife and wiped the blood on his hands on the seat of his pants.

He waited for Elisabeth to scream at him or to cry or to run away from him.

What he hadn't expected was for her to run at him, arms wide open. She pulled him into a hug.

She began sobbing and he slowly brought his arms around her.

"Oh my God." she managed to get out. "That was so close. I never want to do that again. I was so scared. He almost killed me. He almost killed you. We're so lucky."

"You mean, you don't mind that I just killed someone? It was right in front of you. You can see his body. You aren't afraid?" He reminded himself of Edward Cullen at that moment.

"I'm just happy it's not you." she told him.

They continued to hug, happy that they were safe and alive and together.

But their happiness was soon shattered.

A blood curling scream pierced the air.

"Nudge!" they yelled, simultaneously.

They quickly let go of each other and took of into the sky.

They had to get to Nudge before…something terrible happened.

**Okay, maybe that was a tad unrealistic. It was still good anyway right? I thought so. Oh, hey could you all do me a favor? Well, I read this awesome fic, but the author hasn't gotten many reviews. Can you read the story for me? It's called Neoflock by Talon666. It is amazing. Well, read and review. Updating soon, I promise.**


	75. Chapter 74

**Hey guys, ready for another suspenseful chapter? I thought you might be. Well, I bet you're wondering how this story can get any more exciting than it did in my last chapter. Well, I don't want to ruin anything, but just know that things are about to get really shocking. I hope you like it. Well, here we go. Chapter 74 coming at you.**

Iggy, Fang, Elisabeth, and Max all got to the younger kids at the same time.

They saw that everyone was fine, but that they were surrounded by about a hundred Flyboys. But, they weren't attacking. Yet.

"Status report." Max barked, seizing an opportunity to make sure everything was fine.

"We're out of bombs." Gazzy said, disappointed.

"Me and Iggy are okay." Elisabeth said, sounding like she had been crying.

"Yeah, if you think almost being killed is fine." Iggy said, angrily.

"Whaaat?!" Max asked. "You were almost what?"

"No time for that now." Fang told them. "We don't know how much longer these Flyboys are going to stay stationary."

"Oh, not long at all." said a voice.

They looked down below and saw the Director, waving at them, a remote in her hand.

"I see you're all still alive." she continued. "Well, I'll just have to fix that."

She pressed a button and the Flyboys began attacking.

Elisabeth, Iggy, Max, and Fang used their remaining bombs to destroy as many Flyboys as possible, but they were still way out numbered.

They were having many close calls.

Fang had been slammed into a tree and broke his arm. It was now hanging limply at his side, while he fought with his other arm.

Max had two Flyboys coming after her and had to shoot up in the air seconds before they collided with her. They rammed into each other and blew up.

Of course, when the Flyboys collided, Gazzy cackled like a maniac, getting distracted. He was knocked out of the air by Nudge, who had been hit so hard that she went backwards.

"There're too many of them!" Iggy shouted, sending a roundhouse kick at a Flyboys chest. He swung a little too hard and almost kicked Elisabeth in the face.

That was when Elisabeth thought of something.

She could make it all end. She alone had the power to make everything stop. She could save the flock, maybe even the world. Jeb had said she was supposed to help Max with that mission. At the time, she thought he meant with her super intelligence. But, now she realized that it wasn't that at all.

It was so obvious now, what she was supposed to do. Sure, maybe she would die, but she had never really been afraid to die. All living things had to die at some point. It was the circle of life.

She had only been afraid that Iggy wouldn't be ok if she left the world. But, he had said, just a few nights earlier, that if anything happened to her, he would try to get past it. She could rest easy.

All she had to do was…

"NO!" Angel yelled.

Everyone had been fighting Flyboys, so they were confused. Why was Angel yelling? What was going on?

Elisabeth knew though.

"Angel," she said. "I have to. It's the only way."

"What?" Iggy asked, knocking the head off of another Flyboy.

His sightless eyes went wide as Angel divulged Elisabeth's plan.

"There is no freaking way I am letting you do that." he said, firmly. "We'll deal. We've handled worse stuff before."

"What does she want to do?" Max asked, desperately trying to destroy another Flyboy.

"I want to use my power. My super sonic scream. If I can scream loud enough at a high enough pitch, I should be able to destroy all the Flyboys." Elisabeth explained, dodging a hit from a nearby Flyboy.

"I don't see a problem there." Fang said. "Why can't she do it?"

"Because she'll die!" Iggy yelled, tears stinging his eyes. "The shock on her systems will kill her."

"Could. I said that it could kill me. That doesn't mean it will." she said, hoping Max would be okay with her plan.

Max groaned. "If she thinks it'll help, then she should do it. I'm not going to stop her. It's her choice. If she's prepared to take the risk, then who am I to stop her?"

"The leader!" Iggy yelled. "You've stopped us from doing dangerous and stupid things for years! But when it comes to Elisabeth killing herself you say, 'I'm not going to stop her'. What is with you?"

"We don't have time for this!" Elisabeth shouted. "Everyone get behind me! Now! And cover your ears!"

The flock did as she said. They flew behind her and covered their ears.

She knew she had only a few seconds before the Flyboys would reach her and attack.

_Please let everything be ok. _She thought.

She closed her eyes tight and let out an almighty shriek. She could hear her voice getting higher and higher until she couldn't hear it any more. She could feel her throat burn as she put every ounce of her energy into that single scream.

She could hear the sounds of the Flyboys as they short circuited. Through her closed eyes, she could see flashes of bright light as they exploded.

She felt weak. She stopped screaming and opened her eyes.

There were no more Flyboys in sight. Just some falling debris.

Her head was pounding. Everything was fuzzy. She blacked out.

She was plummeting to the ground, fast.

Iggy and Max dove and scooped her up, just in time.

The flock flew towards the ground and landed.

Iggy and Max gently placed Elisabeth on the ground.

She wasn't moving. Iggy didn't even bother to check if she was breathing. He knew she was dead. He knew he'd never hear her laugh again. It was over. All his hopes for the future had gone up in flames. She had wanted to have his children. Now… now it was all over.

He heard the Director cackling.

It was all her fault. It was her fault Elisabeth was dead. Everything was her fault. He was going to kill her.

He felt pure rage pulse through him. Someone was screaming. He realized that it was him. He could feel it rising out of his throat.

"Oh, she's dead." he heard the Director say. "So, what're you going to do?" she asked him.

"I'm going to kill you!" he yelled, rising to her bait.

"Iggy, be rational." Max whispered. "We have to think this through."

"Shut up Max." Iggy barked. "I am being rational. I have thought this through. She killed Elisabeth, so now I'm going to kill her."

He began walking towards her. He didn't want to do it too fast. He wanted to feel the life leave her.

Elisabeth wouldn't like to hear him thinking those things. She'd probably be terrified if she knew. But Elisabeth was dead, never to come back.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be killing me." the Director said, pulling something out of her pocket. "I don't think you have the guts."

"Just watch me." Iggy said, continuing to walk forward.

The Director grinned evilly. The stupid bird-boy had risen to her bait.

She aimed the gun at him. She put one hand on the trigger.

"Last chance to give in." she said, tauntingly.

"Never." he said, defiantly.

He took another step forward. A shot rang through the air and…

**Haha. Cliffhanger. Sorry guys, had to do it. I gotta keep you on your toes. Anyway, read and review. Updating soon. I won't make you wait too long.**


	76. Chapter 75

**Okay guys, I'm back. Told you I wouldn't make you wait too long. This chapter is extremely awesome. It is a little sad and depressing at parts, but everything turns out just fine. I think after this chapter there should be one or two more and then an epilogue. Okay, one thing before I get on with my chapter. Like I said in a previous chapter, I've read this one really good fanfic, but the author barely has any reviews. I think you guys will totally love it. It's called 'NeoFlock' by Talon666. Well, anyway I suppose I should get on with the story. Here's Chapter 75. Hope you enjoy it.**

_A shot rang through the air and…_

The Director fell.

She hadn't fired the shot. Someone had fired one at her. The only question was who? Why? Were they good or bad? Okay, so that was three questions, but they still needed to be answered together.

"Who's there?" Iggy shouted.

He felt numb. Like the life had been drained from him. Elisabeth was dead. What did he care if the person who killed the Director, whoever it was, killed him too. At least then he'd be with Elisabeth again. Wouldn't he?

The flock cautiously walked over to Iggy. They wanted to know who this mystery person was too. Was it a friend? Was it someone worse than the Director? They had to know.

"Sorry kid." The blonde whitecoat, who always looked nervous, walked towards them. "Couldn't let you kill anyone else. You have enough on your shoulders."

Iggy lunged at him. He didn't care that none of this made any sense. He didn't care that this man had just possibly saved their lives. He wanted to kill him. He wanted to cause him pain. He knew it wouldn't compare to the pain he was feeling, but it would make him feel a little better. At least he wouldn't suffer alone.

"Woah, take it easy there kid." the whitecoat said, pulling Iggy off of him.

Iggy stumbled to the ground and tried to stand, but he couldn't. He couldn't move. His legs felt like lead. He was tired and miserable. He felt tears pour out of his eyes. He didn't care if the whole flock saw him cry. He didn't know what else to do.

Max tried to draw attention away from Iggy by saying, "Who the heck are you?"

The whitecoat chuckled nervously. "I suppose I should tell you. I work for Jeb. My name's Mike Evans."

"If you work for Jeb, why did you try to strangle me?" Iggy mumbled, tears still falling. He needed to talk. It took his mind off of Elisabeth's body lying next to him.

"Well, I had to be convincing. I wasn't supposed to give myself away unless it was necessary."

"So it wasn't necessary when…she," he said, motioning towards Elisabeth. It was too hard to say her name. "was falling out of the sky?"

"There was nothing I could do. I am terribly sorry. I saw how you tried to protect her back with Dr. Carson."

Fang had been staring at Elisabeth's seemingly lifeless body. Something didn't seem right. Something was off. Was she still breathing? Was she still alive?

"Ig, check Elisabeth's pulse." Fang ordered, walking towards him.

"There's no use Fang." he replied glumly. "I know she's dead."

"Wait." Angel said, also moving closer. "I think I'm getting a thought from her. It's really faint. But, she's thinking about you Ig. I see your face."

Could she really be alive? Was it possible? How close was she to dying? Was she slipping away as he sat there, staring at her? Was there a chance that he could save her?

He grabbed her arm and put two fingers on her wrist.

He felt something. He felt a pulse.

She was alive! But for how long?

"We need to get her to Dr. Martinez now!" Iggy shouted, standing up.

"Wait, the Director said the house was being guarded." Max said. "We can't go back."

"Hold on a minute." Mike said, pulling a cell phone out of his pocket.

Iggy was fuming. Every second they wasted put Elisabeth closer to death. Didn't anyone understand that?

"Yeah. Okay." Mike hung up the phone.

"Jeb's been at the house for a while. He took care of the guards and located your family. They're safe." He put the phone back in his pocket.

Max breathed a sigh of relief. Then she asked a question.

"What're we going to do with her?" She pointed to the Director.

"I'll take care of her and Dr. Carson later. First we have to get you guys to a safe place."

Iggy picked Elisabeth off of the ground. He cradled her head in his arms. He hoped he wouldn't drop her. He had a long way to walk.

"Ig, you can't carry her." Fang said to him. "She's too heavy. We have a long way to walk."

"No." Iggy said, absentmindedly. "I have to do this."

"I'll help you." Max offered, reaching out her arms.

"No." Iggy repeated, pulling back. "I have to do this myself."

He didn't know why, but he felt that he had to carry her alone. It was like it was a way to make up for everything he put her through. It was his fault she was like this. If he had put his foot down, if he had made her stay with Dr. Martinez, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

The flock decided not to press Iggy's decision. They followed behind him as he carried her home.

They didn't bother to tell him to watch out for trees. After all their days of preparation for the fight, he had learned where every tree, every rock, and every fallen log was.

They went in silence until Nudge had a sudden thought.

"Umm…Mike?" she asked.

The whitecoat looked at her and she took that as his 'okay' for her to speak.

"When you killed the Director, you said something to Iggy. You said, 'Couldn't let you kill anyone else. You have enough on your shoulders.'. What exactly did you mean?"

Mike sighed. "I don't know if I should tell you that."

"It's okay. Tell her." Iggy grunted.

"Well, now before I say anything, you have to remember that the poor kid was under pressure."

He paused and continued. "Dr. Carson had the girl…Elisabeth…by the neck. He was pressing a knife to her. He was taunting uh…Iggy…and pissing him off. The kid broke free of my hold and I pretended that he had knocked me unconscious. Elisabeth saw that as her chance to get away and somehow managed to get out of Dr. Carson's grip without getting hurt. The kid managed to get a hold of the knife and he struggled for a while with Dr. Carson. He slit his throat."

The flock was dead silent.

"Woah." Gazzy whispered.

"Like I said, he was under pressure." Mike said, uneasily.

Iggy just kept on walking. He had to get Elisabeth to Dr. Martinez soon. She was fading fast, he could feel it.

"You did what you had to do dude." Fang said, hoping no one would start on Iggy.

They continued to walk through the woods. No one knew what to say. They were all tired and this news about Iggy killing a whitecoat was just shocking.

Elisabeth didn't stir, not even when Iggy almost dropped her. Iggy solemnly hoped that her body was trying to fix itself and that was why she was completely unconscious. If she was hurt at all, if she didn't make it, he'd never forgive himself.

Soon, the trees thinned out and the house was visible.

They trudged through the yard. They ran up the porch steps.

Max banged on the door. Elisabeth needed Dr. Martinez, quick.

Jeb swung open the door. "Good, you're all safe. I see you've met Mike."

"I better get going Jeb." Mike said, walking back towards the woods. "I have some bodies to clean up."

"Where's Dr. Martinez?" Iggy barked.

Jeb saw Elisabeth in Iggy's arms. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter!" he yelled, angry. "Just get Dr. Martinez."

He turned his head. "Val! Val, come quick!"

Dr. Martinez rushed to the door. She saw Elisabeth and opened the door wider.

"Set her on the couch."

Iggy did as she said. He hoped to God that Dr. Martinez could pull of a miracle and save Elisabeth. He couldn't live without her.

**Well, that was pretty shocking right? Hope you liked it. Anyway, read and review. Updating soon. **


	77. Chapter 76

**Okay everyone, time for another update. Sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I had a whole lot of homework and then I got really sick for two days. It wasn't pleasant at all. I had a huge headache and then a stomachache. Also, there was a virus going around so my dad wouldn't let me get on the computer. But, I'm back now. When I last posted, the flock realized Elisabeth was still alive but she was fading fast, so Iggy rushed her to Dr. Martinez. I really don't know what else to say, so I guess I'll just get on with the chapter. Again, read 'NeoFlock' by Talon666. You'll love it, trust me. Now, on with the chapter!**

Iggy sat by Elisabeth in the dark living room. It had been about five hours since he had carried her limp body out of the woods and into the house.

Dr. Martinez had done all she could. She was a vet, not a doctor. She had cleaned her cuts and checked for broken bones. She said that all they could do was wait and hope that her body would heal itself. There was nothing more they could do.

Jeb had left and the flock had went upstairs to rest. Iggy had wanted to be with Elisabeth, despite the flock trying to persuade him to get some rest. He would rest only when he knew she was okay.

She meant everything to him. He couldn't, wouldn't, lose her.

He began to absentmindedly stroke her hair. He thought he felt her move, but it was probably just his imagination. He wondered if he would start to hear things.

Wait. Did she move again? No. Just his imagination.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He listened to the clock on the wall behind him tick away the seconds. Tick tock. Tick tock. It was torture.

Just when he thought he was about to go insane, he heard Elisabeth move again. This time, he knew it wasn't his imagination. The couch had creaked. He moved towards the couch, cautiously.

"Elisabeth?" he asked, tentatively. Was he hearing things again after all? Had it just been his imagination running wild because he was so worried about her?

She moaned and his heart leapt out of his chest. He wanted to sing and do back flips because he was so relieved. She was okay. Sort of.

"Iggy?" she asked, groggily.

She tried to sit up, but he gently pushed her back down.

"Welcome back." he teased and she chuckled, weakly. "Save your strength." he told her.

"Wha' happened?" she asked.

He put his finger to her lips. "Shh. Don't strain yourself."

He sighed and said, "I'll tell you what happened." He paused for a moment. "You fell like twenty feet. Me and Max caught you."

"My hero." she chuckled.

"Shh." he ordered. "Anyway, no one got hurt. Jeb had a friend come help us out. He shot the Director and I carried you home. We thought you had died, you were so out of it."

"That all?" she asked.

"What? You want more? I said that we thought you had died."

"No, I just thought something else might have happened." she said. "So, how am I doing?"

He sighed. "We don't really know. You've been out for five hours. We hoped your body was healing itself. You feel okay?" He put his hand to her forehead.

"No fever." he announced.

"I could have told you that." she laughed. "Well, I'm a little tired, but other than that I feel fine. My chest hurts a little, but that's probably from the strain on my systems."

He let out a sigh of relief. "So, you'll be okay then?" he asked her.

"Yeah, but you're right. I probably shouldn't strain myself for a while." She coughed.

"Need me to get you anything?" he asked, feeling uneasy. What did coughing mean? Was it just a tickle or was it some symptom of some fatal condition? "Water?"

She laughed. "Would you relax? I told you, I'm fine."

"I know." he whispered. He sighed inwardly. She was giving him orders. She was going to be just fine. "It's just that I worry about you. I don't know what I would do without you."

Elisabeth sighed heavily.

"What?" Iggy asked, suspiciously. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No. It's just that… Remember the first time you kissed me?" she asked.

"How could I forget? You told me to leave you alone."

"Do you know why?"

He shook his head. He had always been confused about that. He had just assumed that she had been too overwhelmed. It was a lot for her to swallow with everything that had happened. It was just too much for her.

"I was afraid." she told him.

"Of what?" he asked, coming closer to her.

"I was afraid of falling in love with you." she whispered. She felt tears welling up.

"Why?" he asked, confused. Why would she be afraid of that?

"Now, don't think I regret it. I love you. It was just at the time I didn't know what to do. I was afraid that if I did and something happened to you, that I wouldn't be able to help Max with her mission. At the time, that was the most important thing to me. But, I thought about it and I realized I'd rather be happy with you for a short time, than alone and miserable for my whole life."

He kissed her cheek. "You didn't need to worry about me. I can handle myself."

She smiled. "I didn't know that at the time."

"Well, now you do."

"Now I do." she said. "So, should we call everyone down here? We have a lot to tell them." she said.

He brought his face closer to hers. "In minute."

He placed his lips on hers. He never thought he'd be able to do this again. He never thought he'd feel her soft lips touch his. He had thought that he lost his fire. Elisabeth was his soul now. She fueled him. Without her, he'd be a zombie. Dead, barely alive.

Quicker than usual, Elisabeth began to get lightheaded. She was having trouble breathing.

Iggy pulled himself off of her. He didn't want to hurt her.

She was breathing heavily. She didn't sound too good.

"Maybe that was a bad idea." Iggy said, rubbing her shoulders. He felt terrible. He was making her feel a lot worse than she already was. What kind of a guy was he?

"No." she huffed. "I think we just need to tone it down a bit." she chuckled weakly. She knew he was probably beating himself up about it. He hated to feel like he had done something wrong. He was such a worry-wart.

"So, do you think it's time for me to go get everyone?" he asked.

"I got it." she said.

"What? You can't go get them." he protested. If that kiss made her tired then there was no way she could make it up the stairs and back down again.

"Relax. I was just gonna get Angel. She can get everyone else." she told him. "I just want you to keep rubbing my shoulders. It feels really good."

He grinned like a little kid on Halloween and kissed her on the cheek. "Alright. Call the little demon up."

Elisabeth rolled her eyes and called for Angel.

_Angel! _She shouted, hoping to wake her up if she had fallen asleep.

_Don't have to shout. _She giggled. _I'm not deaf. Oh, I'm so glad you're ok. We were all so worried. Especially Iggy, but you probably already know that._

_Thanks. Me too. Anyway, I didn't know how deep you were sleeping._

_S'okay. So, what did you want?_

_Well, Iggy and I have something to tell you guys. I was wonderin' if you would mind getting everyone down here?_

_Nah. It's cool. You gonna tell me what this is about?_

_No. You'll have to wait like everyone else._

Angel moaned. _You are no fun._

_Just get them._

_Okay, okay. Keep your panties on._

Elisabeth turned her attention back to Iggy. "They're coming. Angel just has to get them up."

"We'll be waiting a while." Iggy joked. "I might have just enough time to make a complicated seven course meal."

Elisabeth threw a pillow at him, rolling her eyes and laughing.

If this was going to be the rest of her life, then she was going to be the happiest girl on earth.

**How did you guys like that? It was sort of a filler. The next chapter is the last one, but I might squeeze in another chapter before the epilogue just for you guys. I'll just have to see how that goes. Well, read and review. Again, check out 'NeoFlock' by Talon666. Updating soon. I promise it won't take as long as before. Like I said, I was really sick, had a truckload of homework, and wasn't allowed to get on the computer due to a stupid virus. Well, bye guys.**


	78. Chapter 77

**Well guys, this is it. This is the end. Well, I still have the epilogue, but basically this is the end. This chapter just wraps everything up. Nudge rants a lot, mostly about the wedding. Since I won't have an author's note for the epilogue I want to take this time to thank my faithful reviewers and good friends. ****IlliannaIsis613, Burnup77, ****)( *wings* )(, stargurl, Alyssa, Jaelebean, randomanimallover, Ms. Honey, ****nudge-alice-ride-cullen, SpaceCoyoteWaterMelon, linammy, Flame Ride, ILoveBabbits, Twilight-to-the-Maximum, FlyingFree137, Carlalalita, SARAGrace14, .Hot, star22, purpleytk, Silken-Winged-Angel, xBlackRoses12x, and SmartA55, thank you all so much for your reviews. I have three special thanks to give out. Talon666, TheSmartOne14, and xAnonymous, you guys are the best. You are my most faithful and loving reviewers. You guys have helped me so much and given me a lot of praise. Talon666, your story is amazing and I just want to thank you so much for that shout out you left for me in that note. I'm returning the favor. You three are the greatest. I appreciate you guys so much, you just have no idea. Well, one last thing. This is about my sequel. I just want you all to know that I am working really hard. I still only have the first couple of chapters though. On the plus side, I have several characters picked out. I only have a very vague plot. I'll explain it in a note that I'll put in after I post the epilogue. I think you all will like it. Well, let me go ahead and get on with the last chapter. I seriously can't believe this is it. It's come so far in the months I've been working on it. I put a lot of time and effort in it and tried to stay out of trouble so I wouldn't get grounded. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it. Well, I'm babbling, as usual. Here is Chapter 77, the last chapter in 'With Wings Wide Open'. I hope you like it.**

Several minutes later, the flock thundered down the stairs. Obviously, Angel had told them that Iggy and Elisabeth had big news for them. Soon, they were in the living room, sitting down in various spots, with Dr. Martinez and Total trailing behind them.

"So, what's this about?" Angel asked as Total jumped in her lap, getting everything started. She was on pins and needles.

"Hold up." Dr. Martinez interupted. "Don't you all have something to say to Elisabeth?"

"Yeah." Fang said, smirking. "You look like crap." he told Elisabeth and he chuckled.

Elisabeth rolled her eyes and Iggy said, "Hey, that's my girl you're talking about. Shut your mouth." He crossed his arms, pretending to look threatening.

Elisabeth chuckled and said, "It's ok Ig." She placed her hand on his arm.

"So, you okay then?" Max asked, jabbing Fang in the ribs hard with her elbow.

Fang rubbed his side, but didn't say or do anything more.

"Yeah, a little tired and sore, but I'm doing pretty good for someone who fell like twenty feet." she joked.

At that moment, Nudge decided it was time for her to say something. "Okay, I'm glad you're okay, but I really want to know what you guys have to tell us. Angel said it was really important and now we're just talking about how you're doing and where you're hurting and Fang's makin-"

Gazzy clamped his hand over Nudge's mouth. "Chill." he said. "Now, listen to me Nudge. I will only remove my hand from your mouth if you promise to shut up so they can talk. Okay?"

Nudge nodded, reluctantly, and Gazzy slowly peeled his hand back from her mouth.

Gazzy stared at her for a second, making sure she wasn't going to start talking. When she didn't, he turned his attention back to Iggy and Elisabeth and missed Nudge sticking her tongue out at him.

"So, what's this about?" Ella asked, obviously speaking for Nudge.

"Yeah." Max said. "I'm curious myself." She was sitting on the floor, her legs crossed and her arms folded. She was all ears.

Iggy turned to Elisabeth and took in a deep breath. "Well, I don't know exactly how to tell you this." he said, nervously.

"We've been talking about this for a couple of weeks now." Elisabeth told them.

"Now, you have to promise that you won't freak out or anything. It's kind of shocking." Iggy explained.

Dr. Martinez placed her hand over her mouth and her eyes went wide. "Oh my God." she whispered. She removed her hand from her mouth. "You two didn't- Elisabeth's not- How could- Did you- Oh my God, are you guys having a baby?"

The flock gasped loudly and looked at Elisabeth and Iggy, eyes wide and jaws open.

"No!" Iggy shouted, dumbfounded. "No, we aren't stupid! Why would you think that we- How could you think that we-"

"We would never do that Dr. Martinez." Elisabeth said, helping Iggy out. "That's not what this is about." she assured them.

Dr. Martinez breathed a sigh of relief and the flock closed their mouths and put their eyes back in their sockets.

"Oh thank God." she whispered to herself. "I'm sorry guys. I know you wouldn't do that. I just… I just jumped to conclusions. I'm a mother and I worry a lot and this sounded like the beginning of that type of conversation. Please continue with whatever you have to say." She sat down, placing her hand over her chest and breathed heavily.

Iggy shook his head, regaining composure. "Uh…well…uh…you wanna take this one Elisabeth?"

"Wimp." she mumbled to herself. "Well, Iggy asked me to… he asked me to… he asked me to… marry him." she managed to get out.

The whole flock went wild. They immediately crowded around the two of them, smothering them with hugs and praise.

"Congratulations." Fang said, thumping Iggy on the back.

"That's awesome guys." Max said, beaming. She looked genuinely happy for them.

Nudge, Angel, and Ella were dancing around the living room and chanting, "Elisabeth and Iggy are getting married. Elisabeth and Iggy are getting married."

Gazzy even looked happy. "I'm happy for you two." he said. "Just don't forget about me okay Ig."

Iggy laughed, pulled Gazzy into his arms, and gave him a noogie. "How could I forget about my best friend?"

Gazzy wrenched away from Iggy's grip and fixed his hair. "Well, congratulations anyways."

Elisabeth also managed to pull Gazzy in for a hug and, to the Gasman's dismay, planted a kiss on his cheek.

Gaz wrenched away from her too and wiped the kiss off hastily. "Gross. Girl germs." he muttered darkly.

Dr. Martinez hadn't said anything, which worried Elisabeth. She looked over at her to find that the doctor was smiling hugely. She looked at Elisabeth and nodded to show that she was fine with their decision.

"Wait!" Nudge yelled, realizing something.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Nudge. Elisabeth and Iggy knew what was coming and, from the looks of it, so did Angel. They were prepared for a special broadcast of the 'Nudge Channel'.

"Well, if you guys are getting married, what are the plans for the wedding? Do you guys know what you're going to do about the decorations, the food, the guest list, the outfits, the guy who reads the vows. What's he called? Oh yeah, the minister. When is it going to be? Where? Have you guys thought about any of this stuff? Honestly what would you guys do without me? You'd probably-"

"Nudge." Elisabeth said, sticking her hand up. "Calm down. I have most of the stuff figured out already."

"Well, what about the stuff you don't have? Can I-"

"Nudge," Iggy interrupted. "If you shut up then you can plan the stuff if you promise not to go over board."

"Okay, but what do you have?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I'm letting Iggy make whatever he wants for the food. I don't care if it's hot dogs and pizza and cupcakes. Whatever he makes is fine with me." Nudge groaned, but Elisabeth continued. "Only you guys and Jeb are coming. Iggy already told him. He said he could say the vows for us." Dr. Martinez snorted as if she thought it was funny. "He said he'd get a marriage license. It's going to be in the yard in June, preferably on mine and Fang's birthday. As for what we're wearing and decorations, well Nudge I'm leaving that up to you."

Nudge rubbed her hands together, beaming. She was already making the plans in her head.

"Uh, Nudge remember, you promised not to go over board. I don't want my dress to be all frilly, just something simple. Max doesn't have to wear a dress if she doesn't want to and Fang, Gazzy, and Iggy don't have to wear suits."

Nudge groaned loudly. "Oh come on. You're no fun."

"You heard her Nudge." Max told Nudge sternly. She wasn't wearing a dress. No way in heck was Nudge forcing her into a dress.

"Might I make a suggestion for the food?" Total piped up.

"No buffalo wings." Iggy said.

"Oh come on." Total begged.

"No." Angel said, shaking her head. "You smell worse than Gazzy."

"Hey!" the Gasman shouted. "I resent that."

Everyone busted out laughing.

Soon, Nudge went full swing into party plan mode, so Max slipped out onto the back porch. She wasn't that interested in the party planning like Nudge, Ella, and Angel were. She pitied everyone else, but she wanted to be alone.

She looked out into the yard. It was sunset and the lawn was bathed in a golden glow. The trees were swaying gently in the wind. The clouds were gold, pink, and purple and were swirled together on the light orange sky. It was hard to believe that such a short while ago, their lives had been in danger and they had all almost been killed.

Max felt a prickle on the back of her neck and she sighed, annoyed. "Would you cut that out?" She turned around, not surprised to see Fang smirking at her.

He walked over beside her and said, "Quit what? Breathing?"

She rolled her eyes. "Must we do this every time?"

He smiled softly. "Some things never change." Then he looked into her eyes, "And then, some others do."

Max frowned, trying to figure that sentence out. "Yeah, Elisabeth and Iggy are getting married. That's a huge change." she said, slowly.

Fang looked a little taken aback, but replied, "Oh yeah, but was that really such a huge surprise? Didn't we figure it would happen sooner or later?"

Max sighed, "Yeah, but I guess we just expected it to happen later. Much later."

Fang chuckled softly. "Not me. I knew it was coming soon. I just can't believe they kept it from Angel all that time."

Max laughed. "Elisabeth said it was difficult. She would sing 'Ode to Joy' and when she got bored of that she would do equations. Iggy just went over a bunch of recipes and drumming techniques. They almost forgot to think about fighting."

"Yeah, that was some fight wasn't it?" Fang asked. "Can you believe Iggy of all people killed someone?"

"I know. It seems just yesterday I was yelling at him to pick up his room back in Colorado in our old house." Back when everything was simpler.

It was darker now. The sky was a dark blue and there were some stars twinkling in the sky.

"Wait." Max said, remembering something. "What was that thing you were trying to tell me before?"

"Huh?" Fang asked confused. Then it hit him. "Oh, yeah that. It wasn't that important. I just wanted to say that… well… I just wanted to say that no matter what happens I'll always be your best friend and I'll always be here for you." It wasn't the right time to tell her. He would tell her someday, just not then.

She smiled. "Thanks Fang. You'll always be my best friend too."

"Well, I'm going back inside." Fang said. "Later." He walked back towards the house, opened the screen door, and went inside.

Max turned back towards the yard and sighed. She knew that no matter what happened, the flock was going to be okay. They were survivors. Everything was going to go back to normal, for a while. She knew that one day Itex and the School would be back, bigger and badder than ever. When that day came, she knew that the flock would rise to the challenge. No matter what happened in the future one thing was for certain: She would have the flock and her family with her and nothing at all would rip them apart.

**Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that. I decided to put a little almost Faxness at the end for your entertainment. Now, I know I promised you major Faxness, but remember, I still have the epilogue. This has just been amazing. This is the greatest story I have ever written and possibly the greatest tribute to Iggy ever. Read and review. The epilogue is coming soon. Keep looking for it. See you later. Fly on. (Thought I'd just add that.) **


	79. Epilogue

It was June 23rd, Fang and Elisabeth's seventeenth birthday. It was also Iggy and Elisabeth's wedding day. Everyone was excited, but no one was more excited than Nudge. You would've thought it was her wedding day with the way she was acting. Elisabeth, on the other hand, was actually pretty calm and chilled out.

The day started out crazy. Nudge wanted everything to be absolutely one hundred percent perfect. As promised, she didn't go over board on the decorations or anything, but she did go nuts over getting everyone ready.

She had gotten everyone up at the crack of dawn with a megaphone. It was hard to say where she got it from, but she had it and was yelling into it at six in the morning, trying to get everyone up.

Thankfully, Dr. Martinez had put her foot down and let everyone go back to bed. She had reminded Nudge that the wedding wasn't until that night. They all trudged to bed, still bleary eyed, and slept for a few more hours.

The rest of the day was a lot better. Nudge was calmer and more controlled. She assisted Iggy in the kitchen and helped Gazzy with his big surprise for the party after the ceremony.

Jeb had come early and helped with the last minute shopping and the cleaning. Max had been keeping her eye on him the whole day as a precaution. She still was a little iffy about him. No one said anything because they all agreed that she had a good reason.

Soon, it was time for everyone to get ready. Nudge had scooted the guys outside to finish decorating the yard and shoved all of the girls into Elisabeth and Max's room so they could get ready.

There were piles of Max's things strewn all around the room because she would be moving into the Gasman's bedroom. Gazzy would be moving in with Fang and, of course, Iggy and Elisabeth would be sharing her room.

"Are you sure you won't at least wear a skirt Max?" Nudge asked for the umpteenth time. "You'd look really pretty." She was pleading. She even used the Bambi eyes on her.

They didn't work. Max shook her head sternly. "You're lucky you're getting me to wear dress pants and that shirt you picked out. Don't push it."

She pulled on the clothes Nudge had bought for her. The pants were a pair of plain black dress pants made out of a stretchy material. The shirt was a red silk button up short sleeve shirt with a collar. The shirt had loops and Nudge had put a thin black belt through them. Nudge had also wanted Max to wear heels, but Max refused. However, she had grudgingly agreed to wear a pair of black flats to keep Nudge quiet.

"I think you look amazing Max." Angel said, pulling her dress over her head. It was a cute light blue dress. It was short sleeved and came to about her knees. It had little white flowers etched all over it. She was also wearing a pair of flats, but hers were white.

"You all look so pretty." Dr. Martinez said, teary eyed. She was wearing an outfit much like Max's. She had on a pair of black dress pants and a green shirt made out of a loose, flowy material. She was wearing a pair of black heels instead of flats though.

"I love my dress." Ella said, twirling around the room. The dress she was wearing was purple halter dress with a black ribbon tied around the waist. She was also wearing black flats and she had curled her hair and put it up on her head with a clip.

Nudge was wearing a dress similar to Ella's except that hers was pink. She was frowning and tapping her foot with her arms folded. She looked mad and groaned.

"What's taking Elisabeth so long?" she complained.

Elisabeth had gone into the bathroom to get dressed because she was still slightly embarrassed of the way she looked.

Max was about to tell Nudge to chill out, when there was a knock on the door.

"Guys, it's me." came Elisabeth's voice from the other side of the door. "I'm ready."

Nudge rushed to the door and threw it open.

Elisabeth came in and she looked beautiful. The dress Nudge picked out looked amazing on her. It was a simple dress just like Elisabeth had wanted. It was white with spaghetti straps. It was short, coming just below her knees. It was made out of the same material as Dr. Martinez's shirt. It let her wings out which was exactly what Elisabeth wanted. She didn't want to hide them, not that night. It was time for the flock to let them out and be themselves for one night.

"Wow." Angel whispered and Elisabeth blushed. "Iggy's going to love it. You look so pretty."

Everyone was speechless. Dr. Martinez was holding back tears. She walked over to Elisabeth and gave her a hug. "Your mother would be so proud." she whispered so low that only Elisabeth could hear.

She let go of her and walked over to Max's bed. She pulled her camera out of her purse, grinning excitedly.

"Picture time." she announced. She began snapping pictures of the girls. She got a picture of all of them together, a picture of just Elisabeth, a picture of Elisabeth and Max, a picture of Ella, Nudge, and Angel, and a bunch of others.

"Okay." Nudge said, clapping her hands together. "Make up time!"

"No way." Max said, shaking her head. "No make up."

"Just a little?" Nudge asked, pleading again.

"No." Max said. "Not even a little."

Nudge turned to Elisabeth. "What about you? You'll wear some right?" She gave her the Bambi eyes.

Elisabeth sighed. "Only a little and just on my eyes."

Nudge smiled happily and set to work. She dusted Elisabeth's eyelids with a light grey shadow and applied a little bit of eyeliner and mascara. When she was finished she held the mirror up to Elisabeth's face so she could see.

"Oh my God." Elisabeth said, breathlessly. Was this really her? Did she really look this beautiful? She had never really looked at herself in a mirror before. She had a glance every now and then when she was getting ready, but she had never really stopped and looked.

_Now you see what Iggy talks about. This is what he sees when I give him a mental picture. You are pretty, you just never noticed._

"Now for your hair." Nudge said, coming at her with a curler and a can of hairspray.

"No way Nudge." Elisabeth said, shaking her head. "I'm putting my foot down this time."

"I think she looks good with her hair down." Dr. Martinez said, rescuing her. "Maybe a bobby pin for her bangs."

Nudge sighed. "Okay fine." She pulled a bobby pin out of her make up bag. It had three rhinestones on it and was made out of a dark looking metal. "How about this?"

Elisabeth liked it and let Nudge put it in for her. She took another look in the mirror, still completely shocked by her appearance.

"Okay." Dr. Martinez said, grinning. "Now, I know this is just a silly tradition, but I have to do it. Alright, you have the something borrowed which would be the pin. You have the something new which would be the dress. Do you have something old?" she asked.

Elisabeth nodded, touching the necklace Iggy had given her when he had proposed. "My necklace. The one Iggy gave me. I never take it off." She smiled, remembering that night a few months ago. The night he had asked her to be his.

"What about something blue?" Ella asked her. "I don't see anything blue."

Elisabeth grinned mischievously and Dr. Martinez chuckled. "Underwear right?" Elisabeth nodded and she smiled. "That's what I did when I married Ella's dad. It's the easiest."

Nudge looked Elisabeth over, frowning.

"What?" Elisabeth asked, confused. What was Nudge planning this time?

"Why aren't you wearing shoes?" Nudge asked her.

"I'm going barefoot." Elisabeth explained. "Flats don't look right with this dress and I'm not wearing heels."

Nudge sighed, defeated. She was tired of arguing with the older girls on what they wore. "Fine. If you insist on going barefoot, at least wear this." She pulled out an ankle bracelet from her bag. It was made out of tiny white beads.

Elisabeth smiled and slipped it on her leg. "Perfect." she said, giving Nudge a hug. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Nudge said, smiling.

A knock on the door interrupted the touching moment.

"Who is it?" Nudge called.

"It's me and Fang." Iggy said. "Who else would it be?"

Elisabeth went to the door to open it, but Nudge headed her off. "Iggy you can't come in here. It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

"But I can't see anything Nudge." he said, jiggling the handle. "I'm blind remember?"

"I don't care!" she shouted. "Go away."

Iggy groaned, defeated. "Fine, fine. Have it your way."

"Can I come in?" Fang asked.

"Is Iggy gone?" Nudge asked, suspiciously.

"Yeah." Fang said. "Now let me in."

Nudge sighed and slowly opened the door. She peeked to see if Iggy was still in the hall before she let Fang in. He was wearing his usual, a black t-shirt and black jeans. Nudge couldn't force him into anything dressy.

Elisabeth watched his eyes travel around the room. When his eyes fell on Max, Elisabeth saw a gleam in his eye. She knew what he was thinking. He thought she looked great. She smiled slyly at him at him and he just shrugged.

"Mind if I have a moment with my sister guys?" Fang asked.

Everyone looked slightly shocked, but filed out of the room anyways.

Elisabeth assumed Fang was going to ask her if this was the time he should tell Max how he felt about her. What else would he want to talk about?

Fang stared at the ground, lost for words. He didn't know what to say, Elisabeth could see that. Fang didn't talk about his feelings that often.

"You look great." Fang mumbled, confusing Elisabeth. Was he just unsure about how he should go about asking her if he should talk to Max?

"Uh, thanks." she said, sitting down on Max's bed.

"A lot's changed since you came here." he said. "I never thought I had a sister or a mother. I never would have dreamed that I would have found both of them in the same year."

"Kind of a shock for me too." she admitted. He was obviously stalling. Or maybe he just wanted to talk to her about the wedding? You never could tell with Fang.

"Then, you and Iggy. I've never seen him so happy. I'm glad he found someone. He really needed you. Now you're getting married. We never thought that would happen to any of us. We never thought we'd get to that point."

"Wonder what Mom would say." Elisabeth said, thinking out loud. "I'm getting married at seventeen just like her. Maybe this is a mistake. Look how it turned out for her." She had never thought of that before. Was she making the same mistake as her mother?

Fang shook his head. "No, this isn't a mistake. You two belong together. Dr. Mul- Mom could see that. She'd tell you that she was happy for you."

Elisabeth looked up at him. "Thanks." she said. "I guess you're right. Just 'cause it was wrong for her doesn't meant that it's wrong for me."

"Don't mention it." he said, shrugging. "Ever." he added, seriously.

Elisabeth couldn't help but laugh. That was so like Fang. No touchy feely stuff.

Just then, someone started banging on the door. "Open up!" Nudge shouted. "It's almost time to start!"

Fang shook his head. "Better get out of here before she has an aneurism." He walked towards the door. "Coming Nudge!" he called. "See you out there." he said to Elisabeth. He opened the door and left.

Nudge poked her head into the room. "Remember, come out in five minutes and walk into the living room. I'll see you through the glass door to the porch and I'll signal you to come out."

Elisabeth nodded and Nudge left her alone to her thoughts.

In just five minutes she'd be walking down the aisle towards Iggy and the rest of her life. Nothing was going to be the same. She'd soon be having kids. Maybe Max and Fang would too. Life was never going to be the same. Change used to scare her, but now she couldn't wait for the future.

She glanced at the clock. Her five minutes were up. She took one last look in the mirror, took a deep breath, stood up, and walked out the door, turning out the light. She made her way downstairs and into the living room. She stopped at the door to the porch and waited for Nudge's signal.

She took several deep breaths and saw Nudge give her a thumbs up. It was show time. She pulled open the door and stepped outside.

Nudge and the guys had done an awesome job. They had strung clear Christmas lights all over the trees and the columns on the porch. It was just light enough to where she could see everyone's smiling faces. She looked straight ahead at Iggy and Jeb. Iggy was wearing a white polo shirt, nice jeans, and a new pair of white sneakers. Jeb tapped him on the arm and he looked in her direction. A big grin lit up his face. Angel must have sent him a mental picture.

Nudge started the music. Elisabeth walked off the porch and down the aisle to the beginning of the woods as the 'Wedding March' played. She was floating on a cloud. Suddenly all doubt and worry was wiped from her mind. All that mattered was that she keep walking towards Iggy.

She walked past the flock, Dr. Martinez, and Ella, who were all sitting on folding chairs, but she barely noticed them. All she could see was Iggy.

She reached the end of the aisle and took her place next to Iggy. She took his hand and Jeb began.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite this couple in holy matrimony." Jeb paused and Elisabeth heard Gazzy snigger. "Jeffrey Ignatius Smith, do you take Elisabeth Erin Mullins to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

Iggy grinned and said, "You bet I do."

Jeb nodded and said, "Elisabeth Erin Mullins, do you take Jeffrey Ignatius Smith to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"

Elisabeth nodded and then said, "Of course I do."

Jeb nodded again and said, "Do you have the rings?"

Nudge handed Elisabeth Iggy's ring and Fang handed Iggy Elisabeth's. They were simple gold bands, nothing fancy. Nudge had tried to talk Iggy into buying a diamond ring, but luckily Dr. Martinez had been there and had intervened.

"Okay, now slip them on." Jeb told them.

Iggy grabbed Elisabeth's hand and slipped the ring on her finger. Then, Elisabeth did the same. They both fit perfectly.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Jeb said. "You may kiss the bride."

"Finally." Iggy whispered. He wrapped his arms around Elisabeth's waist. She threw her arms over his shoulders. He pressed his lips against her, kissing her like he had never kissed her before.

Minutes ticked by before Jeb cleared his throat, causing them to part. They turned to the rest of the flock and they applauded. Gazzy wolf whistled, causing Elisabeth to blush. The flock crowded around them, hugging them and congratulating them.

"Party time!" Gazzy yelled, pumping his fist into the air.

"Well, I'd love to stay, but I have to get to work. I still have a lot of covering up to do." Jeb said, shaking Iggy's hand. "Congratulations you two. I wish you nothing but happiness."

"Thank you Jeb." Elisabeth said. "For everything."

Jeb waved and turned around, heading for his car. They watched as he went up the road and then turned to Nudge.

"So, let's get this party started." Gazzy said, looking at the food table. "I'm starved and that cake looks delicious." The cake Iggy had made was a three tiered chocolate cake with white icing (Nudge had insisted).

"No." Nudge ordered. "Elisabeth and Iggy have to cut the cake and then dance and then we can eat." She was set on doing the wedding by the book.

Elisabeth and Iggy sighed as everyone walked over to the cake. "How exactly are we supposed to do this?" Iggy asked, grabbing the knife.

Nudge rolled her eyes. "Do I have to tell you everything?" she asked huffily. "You are both supposed to hold the knife and cut two small pieces of cake. Then, Elisabeth you feed Iggy your piece and he feeds you his."

Iggy shrugged. "If you say so."

Elisabeth grabbed his hand and they cut two small pieces of cake. Elisabeth picked up one piece and Iggy grabbed the other. He brought his up to her mouth and she did the same.

Elisabeth looked at Nudge, unsure. Nudge just nodded. Elisabeth then shoved the whole piece of cake in Iggy's mouth. Half of the cake was covering his face and the other was on the ground.

Everyone laughed and Elisabeth stood, speechless. Iggy grinned and said, "My turn." He then shoved his piece of cake in Elisabeth's mouth. Half was on her face and the other was on the ground. Everyone busted into laughter again.

Nudge looked furious and the Gasman shouted, "Cake fight!"

"No Gazzy." Dr. Martinez said, jumping in front of the cake. "No cake fight."

Elisabeth and Iggy cleaned off their faces and waited for Nudge to tell them what to do next.

"Okay, now it's time for you two to dance." Nudge said.

Elisabeth groaned. "Do we have to Nudge?"

"Of course you do." she insisted. She grabbed their arms and pulled them to the middle of the yard. "Okay, now Iggy put one arm around her waist and grab her other hand. Elisabeth you put your free arm around his neck." She moved their arms to the appropriate positions. "Okay, hit it Ella!" Nudge shouted.

Ella gave her the thumbs up sign and flipped on the CD player. A song from a TV show Angel and the Gasman loved came on and Elisabeth and Iggy began swaying to the music.

_I don't want you, I need you_

_I don't care for you, I love you_

_I'll be there for you because of you_

_I'll do anything for you, you, you_

_I'll do anything for you_

"They couldn't have picked a better song." Iggy whispered in her ear. "You know I'll do anything for you."

"And I'll do anything for you." she said. "Even embarrass myself dancing."

"You aren't bad you know." he told her.

"Are you just saying that?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"No." he whispered truthfully. "God I love you."

"I love you too." she said, leaning her head on his shoulder, continuing to sway to the music.

_I don't care for you, I love you_

_I don't want you, I need you_

_I won't kill for you, I'll live for you_

_I'll do anything for you, you, you_

_I'll do anything for you_

_I'll do anything for you, you, you_

_I'll do anything for you_

The song ended and everyone clapped and whistled and hollered and whooped. Nudge was grinning from ear to ear. She looked happy with herself.

"Satisfied now?" Iggy asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. You guys can go and eat now."

"Forget about eating." Angel said. "I wanna dance."

"Alright." Nudge said. "Just do whatever you guys want I guess. Eat, dance, talk, whatever."

Everyone went in different directions to do different things.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Max POV**

The flock went off to different things after Elisabeth and Iggy had their dance. I sat down in a chair so I could be alone, Angel, Nudge, and Ella went on the dance floor, Gazzy went straight for the cake, and I saw Iggy sneak Elisabeth off somewhere. I didn't see Fang so I assumed he was pulling his little disappearing act.

Fang. What was it about him that made me so confused? It used to be so simple with him. He was my buddy, my best friend. We used to have fighting contests and races and we used to argue non-stop. But that stuff had stopped. Now that I thought about it, it had stopped the second I had kissed him when I thought he was dying on that beach.

"Max?"

I looked up and saw Fang. The loser wouldn't even dress up for his sister's wedding. His hair, which was in need of a trim, was falling into his eyes and he was wearing a stupid smirk that he reserved just for me.

"What?" I asked. One could only imagine what he wanted.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, kicking the dirt in front of with the toe of his shoe.

I looked at him. Was he crazy? Me, dancing? It was laughable. So why did I say, "Sure. I guess."?

I stood up and walked with him onto the dance floor. As we put our arms around each other, a new song started, one of Ella's favorites.

_The best thing 'bout tonight's that we're not fighting_

_Could it be that we have been this way before_

_I know you don't think that I am trying_

_I know you're wearing thin down to the core_

_But hold your breath_

_Because tonight will be the night _

_That I will fall for you over again_

I was so afraid that I was going to step on his foot or something. His strong arms were the only things keeping me upright. I looked into his deep, dark eyes. I had known Fang forever, so why was I just now starting to notice the way he looked?

And then, the answer hit me. It was so simple and so obvious that I mentally slapped myself. I loved him. I loved everything about him. I loved his eyes, his smile, his laugh, his voice, everything.

_-A girl like you is impossible to find_

_It's impossible_

_So breathe in so deep_

_Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep_

_And hold onto your words 'cause talk is cheap_

_And remember me tonight when you're asleep_

I did the only logical thing I could think of doing. I brought my lips to his and kissed him. The instant my lips touched his, I knew that this was what was meant to be. We were supposed to be together. It was just more of my destiny jumping out in front of me except this time, I was enjoying every second of it.

Fang had angled his head and was kissing me back. He brought his rough hands to my face, holding it. He felt the same way about me, I finally got it. I didn't know how I didn't see it before.

Soon, I was lightheaded and as much as I wanted to continue like this forever, I needed oxygen. I pulled myself off of Fang, breathing heavily.

He was wearing that stupid smirk, looking like a goofball. He was pleased with his self.

"I love you Max." he whispered in my ear.

"I love you too." I admitted. It felt good to finally be able to tell him that.

Soon, I was aware of the flock staring at us. Nudge, Angel, and Ella were jumping up and down with glee, Gaz was pretending to gag, Elisabeth was smiling, giving us a thumbs up, and whispering to Iggy about what was happening. Iggy wolf whistled and said, "Finally. Took you long enough." Then I looked at Mom. She was crying, but I knew they were tears of joy.

Everything was the way it was supposed to be. Everything felt normal. I felt like I could take on a million Flyboys. I was ready for anything and with Fang and the others by my side, I could do no wrong.

"Who's up for a fly?" I asked and everyone immediately took off into the sky.

I grabbed Fang's hand and he whispered, "Normal speed please." I grinned. I had no intention of going fast. I was going to take my sweet time because I had all the time in the world, for the moment anyway.


	80. Another Note

**Well, I hope you guys loved the epilogue. It took me forever to write. I wanted to have it split into two parts, one with no POV and one in Max's POV. **

**I choose the songs 'I'll Do Anything' by The Naked Brothers Band and 'Fall For You' by Secondhand Serenade because I thought they were perfect. I had been trying to figure out a song for Iggy and Elisabeth to dance to, but nothing seemed right. So one day, I'm babysitting my little brother and he's watching The Naked Brothers Band on Nickelodeon, when that song came on and I knew it was perfect. As for 'Fall For You' I just thought it was perfect for Max and Fang because it seemed like the way Fang felt about Max. **

**About my sequel. Since I'm just getting started on it, it will take me a while between chapters to update. As soon as I get into it, there will be more frequent updates. In a few days, I'll be putting up the prologue and first chapter. You are all probably curious as to what it's about right? Well, I haven't gotten a plot worked out, but basically, it's about Iggy and Elisabeth's daughter, Melody. She gets kidnapped by the School and meets two other bird kids named Skye and Jewel. That's as much as I've gotten though. Like I said, I have friends helping me, but if you have any ideas feel free to PM me or send it in a review. I still don't have a title, but I will have one when I post it.**

**Well, if you have any other questions about this fanfic, feel free to ask. If there's anything you didn't understand or if you wanted to know why I put something in here, let me know. Also, if you want to know how I got the idea for a favorite chapter of yours, you can ask that too. Don't be shy. I hope you all have enjoyed my first ever fanfic. There will be many more to come. I'll catch you later. Thanks again.**


	81. Dedications & Sequel Info

**Hey guys, it's me again. I have some dedications to put on here. My friends wanted their recognition too. (I have bruises on top of bruises. Just kidding.) So, here we go. First, I have to thank my mother. She bought me the first Maximum Ride book. She also got me into reading at a really young age. Next, to James Patterson for writing the Maximum Ride books. I thank my friends Kate, Julie, Addison, and Josh for letting me model some characters after them. I also thank my ex-best friend for being my inspiration for Heather and Vanessa. Addison gets another thank you for helping me out of my writer's block with all of the random, weird, nonsensical, and hilarious things he says on a daily basis. I also have some really great teachers to thank. Thanks to Mrs. Poling, my kindergarten teacher, for telling me I can do anything I want to do, as long as it's legal. Thanks to my third grade teacher, Mrs. Biggs, for pushing the importance of spelling. Thank you Mr. Webb, my absolute favorite teacher ever, for inspiring me to dream big and live in fantasy, as long as I paid attention in class. Thank you Ms. Bennett, my fifth grade teacher, for telling me to never give up. Thanks to Mrs. Floyd, my eighth grade English teacher, for helping me become better at writing with her awesome lessons on punctuation and grammar. Lastly, I would like to thank Mrs. Rector, my ninth grade honors English teacher, for encouraging me and always telling me what a gifted writer I am. The last person I would like to thank is all of you for reading this. You all should know how much your reviews made me smile.**

**Okay, now about my sequel. I have picked a title. It is going to be called 'In the Blink of an Eye'. If you all have any better suggestions, please let me know. I can change it if I find something I like better. As you know, my sequel is all about Iggy and Elisabeth's daughter Melody and her adventure. Just to let you know, the flock will be in here a little, but not very much. Thought I'd give you a heads up on that. I haven't really thought the story out in much detail, so my updates won't be as frequent as usual. I am open to suggestions. Please, I am begging you, if you have an idea I really want to hear about it. Chances are, I will use it. I swear I will credit you and thank you a million times. I will be forever grateful and if you need help with a story, I will totally do whatever I can. Well, that's it. Remember what I said. Look out for the sequel. It's going to be up anywhere between today and Sunday.**


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